Happiness From Sorrow
by Awen Sofer
Summary: Izuru Kira commits one act of kindness to a crying woman that leads him on a journey from a life of constant misery and sorrow to one of happiness. OC/AU OOC likely Not a pairing between Kira and Urahara
1. The Chance Meeting

_Happiness is a by-product of an effort to make someone else happy. ~Gretta Brooker Palmer_

The Chance Meeting

Izuru saw the woman crying and tried to walk past her unaffected just like everyone else. He passed the bench where she was sitting feeling guilt tugging at his heartstrings. The sound of her pitiful sob reached his ears, and he was unable to bear it any longer. He had to help her – somehow. With a quick spin on his heel, he turned around and walked back to her. He sat on the opposite end of the bench from her attempting to stealthily look at her without openly staring.

She was quite possibly beautiful when she was not an emotional wreck. Her long, curly, copper colored hair was disheveled and frizzy. Her eyes were so swollen from crying he could not even tell what color they were. Her face was red, puffy, and covered with tears that continued to run in tiny rivulets down her cheeks and drip from her chin. What could possibly have upset this woman so terribly?

"Excuse me, Miss," he nervously said, sliding a little closer.

Aine stared at the man as if he had dropped out of the sky from another planet. What could he possible want? Why did he look so sad? He had the most sorrowful blue eyes. Well, the eye she could see anyway. His left eye was obscured behind insanely long blond bangs. She was very depressed and sad because she was alone in this big, scary, unknown city except for her father who was very distant and cold. She had made a huge mistake by coming here. Even the people were frightening.

"I'm really sorry to bother you, but it's really hard not to notice that you are very upset. Is there something I can do? Do you need help?" he inquired, appearing to be genuinely concerned and not just nosey.

"Oh, no thank you. I'm sorry. I guess I should have picked a more private place to cry," she sniffed, her body quaking as she took a shaky breath. "It's no big deal really. I apologize if I bothered you."

Aine could not figure out why she was apologizing to him. Maybe it was because he appeared to be sincerely disturbed by her being so emotionally distraught. Anyway, she was even more upset and embarrassed to boot because she put on such a display that it caught the attention of a stranger.

"I have to leave now," she said, standing up to walk away.

"Wait, can I give you my number before you go? Can you just let me know when you get home safely?" he asked hoping he did not sound like a crazy stalker.

"Why do you care?" she queried with suspicion.

"I don't know. I just do," he replied, tearing a piece of paper out of his notebook and scribbling his phone number on it. After he handed her the piece of paper, he smiled which made her smile back. He was going to be late for his class, but it did not matter. This woman had needed someone to show they cared even for just a second.

"Okay. Well, I'll be going now. Thank you for your concern," she said, turning to hurry away.

"Hey!" he yelled after her to make her stop. "What's your name?"

"Aine! And you?" she called back still walking backwards while she looked at him. She did not see the dog on the ground behind her, but he did. Her foot stepped on the dog's tail and it let out a yowl that made her shriek in surprise before she began to fall backwards. Closing her eyes and bracing for impact she was startled that it never came. She felt an arm around her shoulders and another around her waist. Tentatively opening her eyes she stared into a pair of sad blue ones. How in the hell could he move that fast?

"Izuru. Izuru Kira," he said, telling her his name. He could see that her eyes were the most beautiful shade of emerald green.

"Izuru Kira," she repeated, clasping her hands around his neck. "My hero."

"I-I have to go," he stuttered, pulling her to a standing position. "I'm late for class."

"Oh, I was going to invite you for a cup of coffee," she mumbled, staring at her feet.

To hell with class. "Okay," he replied.

On the way to the coffee shop, Izuru tells her a little about himself. He is a sixth year psychology student at the local university and very close to getting his doctorate degree. He chose his area of study because he is incredibly sensitive to people who exhibit unusual behavior particularly when it is caused by emotional pain. That kind of explained his interest in an emotionally distraught stranger.

Upon learning that information, he was immediately a whole lot less creepy to Aine. She told him that she had just moved here to be with her father after her mother had died. Her parents had divorced years ago, and she did not know her father very well. At the funeral he had spoken to her and convinced her to come live with him so they could get to know each other. It sounded like a good idea to her because there was reason for her to stay in the tiny rural village where she and her mother had lived. There was not a whole lot of hope for a future in the backwards, financially depressed area. All the people there did was farm, get married, and have babies and that was all that was expected of their children. The prospect of being a farmer's wife in addition to being barefoot and pregnant for the rest of her life while raising farmhands did not appeal to her either. She was curious to know what kind of person her father was and the thought of a whole new life was a big plus.

"So is it marriage that you find revolting or being the wife of a farmer?" he inquired, holding the door open for her to walk in to the coffee shop.

"Oh, I like the idea of marriage. I even like the idea of children. But I also like the idea of having my own career or maybe owning my own business. I want to be my husband's partner, not his dependent," she explained, staring at the menu board.

"Really? How fascinating. I like a woman with goals other than sucking the life and money out of a man," he said, watching a smile attempt to curl the edges of her lips. He nudged her gently in the ribs, telling her in a stage whisper, "It's okay. You can smile."

Aine gave in and smiled, turning to look at him. He had an amazing smile when he allowed it to reach his eyes; he was really cute when he did not look so miserable. When their eyes met, they simultaneously blushed and looked down before slowly raising their eyes to meet again.

"Can I help you?" the girl at the register asked, interrupting their sweet moment.

They ordered their coffees and two pieces of cake. "I want something sweet to show you how sweet I think you are," Aine explained, smiling broadly at the pink that appeared on his pale face. His blue eyes sparkled happily. She loved that.

"Why did you get two different ones?" he inquired, noticing one piece was chocolate with chocolate icing and the other was vanilla with whipped cream icing with real strawberries mixed into it. Chocolate and strawberries huh? How romantic.

"I thought we could share," she explained, sitting down at a table tucked neatly in the corner. Her radiant green eyes rose to meet his. "Is that a problem?"

"No. Definitely not," he responded, sitting down across from her. She was extremely pretty now that the redness and swelling was gone from her face. With her looking at him like that he wanted to share a whole lot more than cake with her. A day, a month, a lifetime maybe.

"Open up," she ordered, holding a forkful of the chocolate cake in front of his lips.

Izuru did as she asked almost laughing as she opened her mouth along with him. He was more amused than offended that she was acting as if she were feeding a baby. A groan of enjoyment rumbled from his throat as the taste flowed across his tongue and the food melted in his mouth. It was great! He looked at her to see a huge grin on her face while she briefly met his eyes.

"Your turn," he said, picking up a piece of the vanilla and strawberry cake to feed her. He bit his lower lip to hold back a groan of a different type when she closed her eyes and opened her mouth. There were a lot of things he would like to shove in her mouth right now but the cake would have to do. He was a nice guy, really. But unfortunately he was still a man so of course he would have these thoughts. He had miscalculated on the size of the piece and the whipped cream icing oozed out of the corner of her mouth. Using his thumb to wipe it off her face, he planned to wipe it off his thumb on a napkin.

Without thinking, Aine grabbed his hand and placed his thumb in her mouth gently sucking off the whipped cream. She had only been thinking about how some things were too good to waste. When her eyes met his while she sucked the icing from his thumb, she realized too late that she had inadvertently created a whole new problem. She slowly pulled his thumb from her mouth allowing it slide down her chin and neck as a whole new emotion clouded his eyes: unadulterated lust.

"Oh, Izuru, I just didn't think when I did that. I'm sorry," she apologized, blushing so violently the red reached the tips of her ears.

"Don't ever apologize for being beautiful and sexy," he stated in an impassioned manner, taking her hand in his.

Oh, damn. He was simply incredible. After tactfully getting through the potentially awkward moment with a compliment, they continued their conversation about themselves.

Before they left the coffee shop, a date was scheduled for Friday night and her cell phone number was programmed into his phone. Sometimes showing a little bit of kindness to a stranger can have an immediate and surprising result.

* * *

Izuru rechecked the address he had given her. Could this be the right place? He stared at the massive ultra-modern house. It reminded him of the prototypes he had seen for futuristic houses that are ran totally by computers. He wondered if this was one of them. Apparently, her daddy was freaking rich.

"Rover, open the door!" he heard her yell before the front door slowly slid open.

"Hi! Did you really just order the house to open the door?" he inquired stepping into the cavernous but undecorated foyer. "Did you call it Rover? Like a dog?"

"Yeah, I did. It actually is something like a dog. Rover stands for Robotic Obedience Voice Enhanced Response. The internal computer of the house is supposed to recognize and respond to our individual voices and needs, the enhanced part. In addition to obeying our every command, of course. My father designed it," she said nonchalantly, spinning on her toes like a ballerina with her arms outstretched.

Oh, so Daddy is filthy rich. She was wearing very short denim shorts and a lime green tank top. He smiled when he noticed she was barefoot. She might not like the idea of being pregnant but she liked being barefoot. Her toenails were painted the same color of her shirt. What a weird thing to notice. But all kinds of unusual things about her came to his attention. Like the light sprinkling of freckles across her nose and cheeks on her fair skinned face. As his eyes roamed her body, he was aware she had a random scattering of freckles all over her limbs. Her hair hung in amazingly long auburn colored ringlet curls down her back.

"So what do you want to do?" Aine inquired, running up the staircase located behind her.

"How about dinner and a movie?" he suggested, watching the wide swing of her round hips as she ran up the steps. He liked her curvy figure. He was tired of stick straight, overly thin women. If he wanted someone with the body of a twelve year old boy he would date one. Since he was neither a pedophile nor a homosexual that had never been an option.

"Sounds good to me. Let me get my shoes," she said, disappearing into the room on her right.

'Her bedroom perchance? Of course it is, you moron. Run up after her and see what it looks like. Maybe you can see what more of her looks like,' his dirty mind taunted him. He shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. Pervert.

"Okay. I'm ready," she announced, carrying a pair of lime green high heeled sandals in her hand. Obviously, she had a very strict aversion to shoes. When she reached the foyer, she stood right in front of him, dropping her shoes on the floor. Her hand clamped down on his shoulder for balance as she slid her feet into them.

"Now, you're ready," he corrected, taking her hand in his when she was done.

"Smart aleck," she shot back playfully, narrowing her eyes at him. "Rover! I'm going out. Lock the door in twenty seconds."

"Yes, Aine. Countdown begin to lockdown. Twenty, nineteen…" a male robotic voice responded, continuing the countdown as they walked out the door and closed it.

"Is it going to lock or self-destruct?" Izuru joked, squeezing her hand.

Aine smiled at him. Somehow she got the impression she was being rewarded a rare opportunity to see him smiling and light hearted. The melancholy manner with which he acted when she first met him seemed to be his natural emotional tendency and demeanor. "I'm not sure. Maybe we should hurry up and get out of here. But how…whoa!" she exclaimed, staring at the motorcycle in the circular driveway. It was a black and white crotch rocket, and she liked it.

"Here. I even bought this for you today," he said, handing her the helmet that matched his.

How cute; they matched and the helmets also coordinated with the bike. She never would have guessed him to be a motorcycle rider. Awesome. He became more intriguing by the second. She jumped when she suddenly felt him behind her. Damn he could could move fast.

"Wear this," he suggested, holding open the leather jacket for her.

Aine was glad the jacket was not too terribly big and the helmet fit just right. She tucked her hair into the jacket to keep it from becoming a frizzy nightmare. Her heart raced as she mounted the motorcycle behind him, wrapping her hands around his slim waist. She shrieked with delight when he started it up and they jetted off into the night with a squeal and burn of tires in the driveway. She would have to explain that black mark to her father later. It was no big deal because he would just hire someone to clean it up.

* * *

"Oh, my god!" she cried out near ecstasy with something warm and wet running down her chin.

"Here you greedy little piggy,"Izuru laughed, handing her a napkin to wipe the grease from her chin. (What? What were you thinking?) He had never been so entertained by watching someone eat a cheeseburger before, especially a woman. She was not being delicate at all and had grease and condiments running down her face and all over her hands constantly. If he wasn't laughing so hard, he would be incredibly turned on by all of the "oohs" and "ahhs" she kept emitting. She was without a doubt the most unusual woman he had ever met. Eats like a man but still manages to look like a woman - impressive.

Aine enjoyed making him laugh. He was so handsome with a smile and his eyes seemed to be even bluer when he was happy ironically enough. The cheeseburger was damn good, and she was happy as a pig in slop to be eating the heart stopping pile of greasy goodness. Skinny be damned eating this massive amount of calories. She was having a blast. Besides, he seemed to like having her big muscular thighs clamped to his as they rode the motorcycle. He also allowed his hands to linger on the definitive swell of her hips when he helped her from the bike after their arrival at the restaurant. She was not fat, but she had soft feminine curves and a little more flesh than the average native. Of course she was not from around here. That difference did not seem to bother him and actually seemed to draw him to her more.

"Shall we walk to the theater?" he inquired when they were done with the burgers and fries.

"Yes, we shall," she replied with a smile, grabbing his hand.

They walked to the movie theater in silence, holding hands. Izuru was thrilled she was a woman who appreciated a comfortable moment of quiet. She did not feel the need to incessantly chatter about banal, boring things that he cared nothing about. He already knew where he would take her on their second date.

Aine held his hand throughout the movie. During tense parts, she would lace and unlace her fingers from his. During the romantic parts, she would tenderly stroke the back of his hand with her thumb. All of this she did absentmindedly with her attention on the movie. She did not notice that he was fully aware of her actions and his attention was on her. On the motorcycle ride home, her hands were pressed against his chest as she held onto him tightly. She had no idea he was smiling under the dark shield of his helmet. She did something to him that no other person had ever done: she made him happy.


	2. Oh, Daddy!

Oh, Daddy

Kisuke Urahara stared at his flame topped daughter's back before running his hands through his shaggy blond hair nervously and walking into the kitchen. He almost laughed because she was sitting in one of the clear acrylic molded bar stools at the counter which gave her the appearance of hovering in midair in a sitting position since the chair was practically invisible. His decorator had the strangest sense of style but he liked it. Maybe because he was strange too or that's what everyone always said. He always felt everyone else was strange; normal was boring.

"Good morning," he said as he walked past her to get a cup of coffee. The words hung in the air with no reply. A deep sigh of frustration gushed from his lungs. He wanted to get to know her. Really he did. He just never knew what to say to her. His girl was twenty -…damn, he did not even know how old she was. No wonder she never had anything to say to him. With another loud sigh he buried his face behind his coffee cup as he took a big drink. Just one more awkward morning in a long line of many to come.

"Dad?" Aine stared at him waiting for him to look at her with his light gray eyes. She did not know if he was shy or if he just did not care at all, but she had reached her limit with the quiet, uncomfortable existence with him. She had questions, and she wanted answers.

"Aine," Kisuke responded frigidly, leaning against the counter. He silently stared at her because of the pinched look on her face. It was indefinable what she was feeling by that expression of her eyebrows drawn together over her nose, her forehead wrinkled up, and her lips puckered. Her mother used to get that look. He never knew what the hell that woman was thinking either. The last time he saw that look on her mother's face he woke up the next morning to find his wife and child were gone. He had no one to blame but himself because he had been having an affair with his lab assistant, and finally his secret had been discovered by his wife.

"Dad, tell me what happened. Why did you leave us?" she inquired, staring at him with curiosity. He was wearing his typical work uniform so to speak of a black pants, dark green button up shirt with a hideous solid cream colored tie, and his lab coat. He looked as if he were her age with his shaggy blond hair and youthful face. No wonder he had so many pretty young lab assistants. Somehow she had the feeling that might have something to do with what happened between him and her mom. She never had asked her mom why they were divorced. Her mother never mentioned her father at all. If she had mentioned her father, her mother would break into a spiel of insults and curse words in their ancient ancestor's language.

"I didn't leave. Your mother did. It was my fault," he said, going on to explain. He might as well be truthful. What could he possibly lose now? He realized too late he still had his daughter to lose from the painful truth. Her fair skinned face grew darker and more highly colored as he talked. He should shut up but he couldn't. The whole story just spilled from him. He had carried the guilt around long enough. By the time he was done, her face was almost purple, her lips were a thin white line, and her emerald green eyes sparkled and shone like the gemstone they resembled. He did not know if he should run or arm himself. She was just like her mother in temper it seemed; he was waiting for the explosion.

Aine could barely breathe. She felt like unleashing one of the Celtic cursing tirades her Irish mother used to unleash. She wished there was a cast iron fryer in this damn kitchen so she could beat him with it. Packing her bags and leaving was an option but where would she go? Her menial job as a waitress would certainly not support her, and why should she suffer when Mr. Philandering Moneybags here owed her something. He had told her she did not have to work, but she wanted to work until she could get her head straight and decided what to do with her life. What an asshole! She was not sure what to do with her anger so she put her head down on the counter and began to cry. When her anger would boil over beyond critical it would always reduce her to tears and that would make her even more furious. Who bursts into tears like a helpless baby when they when want to rip someone's head off? She did, that's who, and she was doing it right now.

Kisuke gaped at her in fear and shock. He never had known what to do with a crying woman. Tears from a woman scared him, especially those of his wife and daughter. If she was like her mother, and she certainly seemed to be, this meant there was a high possibility he could lose his life if he made one wrong move. He was walking in an emotional mine field and had to be careful of sudden explosions.

Aine felt his hand on her back and nearly jumped out of the chair. Her head popped up and she glared at him. "You're such an asshole!" she yelled, not knowing what to think when he gave her the kindest yet pitying smile. She wanted to slap him, but he was still her father.

"I'm sorry, Aine. I don't know what else to say. I can't change the past. I wish I could. I have not yet discovered a way to travel there and do so. The mastery of time travel eludes me," he said, patting her shoulder gently.

Was he trying to be funny? "You're an idiot," she snapped, putting her forehead against the cool white countertop. She had no idea what this counter was made out of but the smooth cold surface felt great on her hot face.

"Yeah. Your mother always told me that too. She was very smart woman so I knew she was right. I never got a second chance to be her husband, but can I get a second chance to be your father? Please?" he implored her, daring to slide his arms around her shaking shoulders. He could breathe again when she did not slap him or shy away from him.

"Sure. Why not? What do I have to lose?" she muttered, sitting up and looking at him.

"You're a lot like her," he murmured attempting run his hand through the tousled mess of curls on her head before resorting to going over it. He smiled with the memory of how he never could run his fingers through her mother's hair either. It was always too thick, too curly, and too tangled.

"Yeah. I know. So don't ever try to bullshit me," she warned, glaring at him. "I'll see right through it and it will just make me angrier."

"You have her gift for words as well, I see, "he remarked with thinly veiled sarcasm.

"Are you just trying to be an asshole or does it come naturally?" she inquired, a challenging smile on her face.

"It's a personality defect you'll have to learn to live with," he answered, placing his hand against her cheek. "I'm really glad you decided to come live with me."

"I'm still waiting to determine if it was a good idea," she rejoined with a decidedly smart alecky comment.

"Fair enough. At least you haven't come to the conclusion it was a terrible idea so I still have a chance." He hugged her briefly, smiling when her arms went around his waist to squeeze him gently. "Oh, one more thing…do you know anything about that black mark on the driveway?"

"Yeah, I do. My boyfriend's motorcycle did that. Sorry! You can get someone to clean that, right?" She bounced off the bar stool and walked away humming happily while he stood transfixed and confused.

Boyfriend? Motorcycle? "Hey! We need to talk some more when I get home from work!"

* * *

Kisuke stared at all of the food spread across the table. She can cook? There was an odd mixture of Irish and Japanese dishes that smelled absolutely wonderful and looked almost beautiful if food can be beautiful.

"Sit down, Daddy," she said, sitting two wine glasses and the bottle of wine on the clear plastic table that had a wide black stripe around the edges so that they could be seen and not ran into.

"Daddy?" he muttered in bafflement.

"Do you prefer cheating dickwad?" she retorted while pouring the ruby red liquid into the glasses.

"Daddy's fine. Watch your mouth. Don't be so nasty. You're a lovely girl. Don't ruin it with that mouth," he admonished her, sitting down in one of the black high backed chairs that looked as if it belonged in Dracula's castle. He had never noticed how truly weird the interior designer was. He had never even used his dining room until now either. There was never a reason to before.

"Yes, _Daddy_," she stated with sarcastic emphasis.

"Call me Father when you say it with sarcasm. It works better."

"Yes, _Father_. You're right that does sound better."

"As if you needed a lesson on being a smart ass," he mumbled, sipping the wine. It was really good. The girl knew her way around food and wine apparently. "Have you ever thought about owning a restaurant instead of working in one?"

"Yes, I have," she responded excitedly, launching into a long exposition about her fondest dream.

Kisuke smiled, pleased that he had hit on a subject that caused her to open up to him. He listened intently not even bothering to eat and neither did she because she was too busy talking. He could see so much of her mother in her. She had the same ferocity and passion for life. Guilt pricked at his very soul making him physically wince while he watched his daughter explain what her restaurant would look like with wide sweeping gestures of her hands. He made careful mental notes of everything she described right down to the dishes she wanted. Phone calls would be made tomorrow to architects and plans would be made for everything she described to him.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed, not seeing the big smile on his face because her attention had turned to the cold food on the table. "Oh, Daddy, I talked so much the food is cold. I'm sorry."

"That's why we have a microwave. Do you know how to use it?" he inquired, his smile fading from his lips.

"Are you serious? You don't know how to use a microwave?" she asked incredulously, hoping he wasn't really that harebrained. When he stared blankly at her, she came to the disturbing conclusion he is that ditzy. "Oh, Daddy, really? You designed an automated robotic house but you can't use the microwave in it? God, Dad!"

Both of them began laughing and could not stop. Aine was still giggling as she served their plates and took them to kitchen to warm them up.

"Okay, tell me truthfully what you think," she said after sitting his plate down in front of him. She was too nervous to eat as she waited for his critique. Her stomach did cartwheels as she carefully observed every expression that crossed his face. 'Oh, my god! Hurry up!' she wanted to scream impatiently and bit her lower lip to keep from doing so.

"Yours is going to get cold again," he pointed out as he worked his way around the plate with his sampling.

"It's all right. I know how to use the microwave," she responded with a smug grin.

"I knew I wanted you here for some reason. Now, I know I want starve to death," he quipped going back to his taste testing. When he was done he sat back with what he hoped was a completely neutral expression. It had been so hard not to react with great satisfaction in some way while he was eating. She was an astounding cook. He cocked a blond eyebrow at her putting his hands behind his head casually as he licked his lips and pretended to think. He forced his smile into a frown because she was virtually vibrating in her chair with nervous anticipation.

"Well?" she squeaked, chewing on the ends of her thumbs. That was a nervous habit she picked up from her mother. She wondered why he was suddenly looking at her as if he was about to cry. Oh, god! Was her cooking that bad? She had always thought she was a good cook.

"Are you going to be the executive chef?" he asked, leaning forward with his elbows on the table.

"Yes. Why? Is it a bad idea? Is my cooking horrible? I always thought I was good, but all those boys might have been lying. There isn't a whole lot of girls to choose from in the village so they were just being nice weren't they? Oh, man! I'll have to buy some new cookbooks and…"

"Sweetheart! It was wonderful! It's the best food I've ever had!" he yelled to stop her incessant chattering. He reached over to touch her cheek seeing the tears that had formed in her eyes. This meant a lot to her, and it was obvious. He felt like an ass for making her wait for his answer now, but he was only joking. She pretended to be so tough but underneath it all she had a heart of the most fragile glass. "I'll do anything to make your dream come true. I want to help you. It's the least I can do for all of the years of your life that I missed."

"Daddy, I want to love you for who you are, not because you buy my love," she said, putting her hand over his that was still resting on her cheek.

"That's what I want too, sweetheart. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I was so selfish and short sighted," he apologized, wiping away the tear that eased from the corner of her eye.

Aine had a thousand more questions burning in her mind. She had so much she wanted to ask, so much she wanted know. But they would have plenty of time for that.

"So tell me about this boyfriend of yours," he suggested, sitting back in his chair after she let his hand go.

"Well, I guess he's my boyfriend," she said, then began telling her father about Izuru Kira: everything from how they met to their first date.

"Can I meet him soon?" he asked. He resisted the urge to be an overprotective father. He wanted to fuss at her for going out with a boy before introducing him to her father. The heavy sigh he emitted carried the same weight as his heavy heart. He had not been there for her since she was five years old. She was nearly – crap…he still needed to find out how old his daughter is and when her birthday is. Shameful. An absent minded scientist and father. The years had just kind of molded together and ran into one long empty blur in his memory. He had never been her father so he had no right to jump in with both feet now.

"Of course. We already have plans for Friday night but what about Saturday night? I can make dinner for everyone." She grabbed his hand that was laying on the table and squeezed it. It seemed she wanted to repair their relationship as much he did.

"That would be great. I look forward to it," he answered, squeezing her hand back. "Aine, can I take you out on Sunday for brunch?"

"Daddy!" she exclaimed, blushing sweetly. "Are you asking me out for a father-daughter date?"

"Yes," he replied proudly. "Yes, I am." Since she had met a boy and they already seemed to be getting along quite well, he might not have much time left to get to know his daughter. He better use the time he had wisely.

"I would love to, Daddy," she said, getting up to kiss him on the cheek. She grabbed the plates and disappeared into the kitchen, sniffling as she walked away.

Daddy. Kisuke smiled to himself when he thought about how absolutely wonderful it sounded every time she said it. He was amazed she had taken to calling him that so easily, but it felt great. There was so much he missed in her life as she grew up, but he vowed he would never miss another thing.


	3. A Simple Kiss

"_Happiness is like a kiss...you must share it to enjoy it." ~ Uknown  
_

Just a Simple Kiss

"Rover, let me in!" Izuru yelled at the house.

"I'm sorry, sir. The master of the house has recently reconfigured my settings. I do not recognize your name," Rover apologized insincerely in his patronizing robotic voice.

"DADDY!" Aine shrieked like a banshee from the other side of the door. Rover was refusing to acknowledge her voice command to open the door as well.

"I didn't want you two sneaking off before I could meet him," her father said, commanding the computer to open the door. "Rover, reprogram. Recognize Aine Urahara."

"Voice recognition command, Aine Urahara," she spoke carefully and clearly.

"Confirmed. Aine Urahara, welcome home, honey," the computer told her.

"Dammit, Dad," she grumbled, trying to be mad with him. She was slowly becoming accustomed to his warped sense of humor. Highly intelligent people seemed to operate on a whole separate plane of existence. She was beginning to understand that.

"I'm Izuru Kira, sir," he boldly introduced himself. Ever since that day in the park he no longer had trouble asserting himself or speaking to others before they spoke to him. That was just many of the wonderful changes that had taken place in him since meeting Aine.

"Nice to meet you, Izuru. Where are you taking my daughter tonight?" Kisuke inquired, staring at the young man.

"_The Black Quill_, sir," he answered stiffly. He was still nervous.

"The coffee house where they recite poetry? You fancy yourself a poet?" her dad asked sharply.

Aine rolled her eyes and ran up to her room to finish getting ready. This was going to take a while. She dressed in a floor length tiered skirt of chocolate brown and a plain white tank top. This time she chose flat brown leather sandals because she was going for a decidedly casual, bohemian look. They were going to a coffee house for poetry readings. One of Izuru's friends would be reciting poetry tonight, and she was looking forward to meeting him.

"I'm ready!" she yelled, running down the stairs to where the two men were still deep in conversation. They were now blathering on about something to do with the human psyche, id, ego…blah, blah, blah. "Izuru, if you would like to date my father, I'll be happy to go on to _The Black Quill_ without you."

Both men immediately stopped talking and blushed quite a lovely shade of pink. Since they were already getting along so well, hopefully this meant dinner tomorrow night would be a stunning success. The taxi pulled up as she was saying good bye to her father by kissing him on the cheek. They had planned to take the bus instead of Izuru's motorcycle, but her father had called them a taxi after Aine had steadfastly refused to take any of his personal vehicles.

"I like your Dad. He seems like a great guy," Izuru said, keeping a firm grip on her hand.

"He is," she responded with a smile. "You're still coming to dinner tomorrow night right?"

"Of course! I wouldn't miss it," he rejoined, staring at her lips without meaning to. She had the most alluring dark pink lips that were full and supple and begging to be kissed. Since that first day with the cake at the coffee shop, he had been captivated by her lips. He had not yet given her their first kiss. Maybe tonight.

"So tell me about your friend," she insisted despite the fact she would be meeting him soon.

"Well, he's quiet and serious."

"Kinda like you?"

"Yeah, kinda like me. You'll see soon."

There were people standing around everywhere when they arrived. They were huddled in small groups talking and smoking. They curiously eyed the couple arriving in the taxi then went back to their conversations when they recognized the blond because he was a regular like them.

Aine was a little mortified and taken aback when they walked inside. It reminded her of one of the pubs back home, however, there were no alcoholic drinks served here. It was dark and dirty too _unlike_ the pubs back home. Most of these people looked like they were on something a whole stronger than alcohol anyway. She glanced around the room inquisitively studying the people as well as the place itself. Despite a few odd characters and being like a cave, this place was not so bad.

"There he is," Izuru announced, pressing his hand into the small of her back to lead her to the table in the corner where a lone man sat.

Aine could not see him clearly in the dim light until they reached the table. She yelped when she was pulled in to sit next to him. Now that she was inches from his face after Izuru slid in beside her and shoved her closer, she was almost too close to see what he looked like, but she could easily kiss him if she were inclined to do so which she was not. She leaned back against her boyfriend, smiling at the man with spiky black hair and dark eyes of an indiscernible color in the muted light. He was wearing a black choker around his neck and matching ones on each of his muscular arms that were nicely displayed by his black tank top. There was an odd tattoo that looked like a stripe extending from his left ear and stopping on the right side of his nose. The number 69 was tattooed under that.

"It's not what you think," he said when he noticed her staring at the number.

"I wasn't thinking anything," she lied, blushing hotly. She was a terrible liar. He only smiled at her.

"I'm Shuhei Hisagi," he introduced himself, grabbing her hand underneath table because they were shoved in too close for a real hand shake.

"I'm Aine Urahara," she rejoined, squeezing his hand that held hers. She almost informed him that it was quite all right to let go because he was still holding her hand.

"Is your father the same Urahara that invents all those wild electronic gizmos? Like science fiction type stuff?" he inquired, finally releasing her hand.

"Yes. That's him," she replied proudly.

"Is it true you live in a robotic house?" he asked, leaning closer as if he weren't close enough.

"Yes."

"Can I come see it sometime?"

Before she could answer, Aine noticed something behind her had caught his attention. Shuhei was staring over her shoulder instead of at her. What she could not see was the murderous glare her boyfriend was giving his overly flirty friend. Izuru gave him a silent signal to back off so he did.

"Hey, I'm about to go on. I have to get out," Shuhei announced, waiting patiently for the both of them to move out of the seat. "Nice meeting you, Aine. Good job, Izuru."

Aine covered her mouth to hide her smile when Izuru turned pink after his friend winked at him and gave him a thumbs up. Apparently he approved of her. She supposed that was a good thing. She had refused to pass judgment on Shuhei either way yet. After they were seated in the booth again, she put her arms around Izuru's slim waist and propped her chin on his shoulder so she could see the stage.

The first poet used great diction and emotion while spouting off his poem about his dog that died when he was ten. His delivery was great; the poem itself was awful. The next person was a soft spoken, shy girl whose voice barely reached their ears even with the amplification of the microphone. Her poem was about the flowers of spring, and it was very nice until the end. It took on a definite depressing connotation when she spoke about their fading beauty and slow deaths at the end of the season.

"Izuru," Aine hissed in his ear. "All of the poems like this?"

"No. Most are though. Why?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"Oh, my god! It's so damn depressing. One more poem about anything dead I might kill myself!" she exclaimed, making everyone around them shush her. She stuck her tongue out at one guy that continued to glare at her. He had spikey white hair and huge eyes that she could see where an unusual teal color. He did not look happy at all. No surprise there with all of this depressing poetry. However, he looked just plain angry. He had probably been dragged here by his girlfriend. She understood how he felt.

Aine's attention was pulled back to the stage when Shuhei stepped up to the microphone. She took a deep breath and steeled herself for another onslaught of bleak, morbid words. Her eyes settled on the 69 tattooed on his cheek. What in the hell possessed him to get a tattoo there?

"Love," the intense black haired man stated plainly, pausing dramatically. He looked more like a punk rocker rather than a poet. Give him a guitar and some black eyeliner, and he would be more at home.

"What?" Aine queried out loud to herself. It was Izuru who shushed her this time so she poked him hard in the ribs.

"Ow! Stop it!" he snapped, jumping away from her. He was ticklish. How cute. That could be used against him later.

Aine decided to calm down and listen especially since it was Izuru's friend. The poem was about love so maybe it would be okay.

_Love_

_Just another four letter word._

_It can be hell to feel love._

_Sometimes it is easier not to give a damn._

_Some people think love is just shit._

_Others think the greatest expression of love is to fuck._

Aine shifted uncomfortably, visibly chagrined with fiery red cheeks by the shocking words. It wasn't depressing but damn what it was made her feel like hiding under the table. It was interesting that he used other four letter words in reference the four letter word of love. She gulped and pressed her face against Izuru's back in her attempt to conceal her reddened face when Shuhei returned to the table.

"How was it?" he asked expectantly. "What's wrong with her?"

Aine looked up at him, smiling weakly. "Nothing," she answered, speaking for herself. "That was,um…uh…" Think, think, hurry up and think of something nice to say. "Provocative. It definitely elicited a strong response from me."

"Oh?" he murmured, raising and eyebrow as he grinned at her lecherously.

"Not that kind of response, you idiot," Izuru said with obvious irritation. He could feel the heat radiating from her skin all the way through his shirt. "She's so damn flustered she's about to squeeze me in half."

"Oooh, sorry, sweetie," she murmured in his ear, kissing his cheek while she loosened her grip on his waist.

"So it wasn't good?" Shuhei inquired with obvious disappointment, sitting down across from them.

"No. It isn't that. It was unexpected. The only person I've ever heard that kind of disturbing frankness about love from is my mother," she said with a slight smile on her lips.

"What happened to your mother?" he asked, noticing the sad look in her eyes.

"She died. That's why I came to live with my Dad," she answered, letting go of Izuru before she starting squeezing him again. She smiled at him when he grabbed her hand.

"I'm sorry that's what brought you to me, but I'm sure glad you're here," the emotional blond beside her said, taking her into his arms.

Aine held her breath as his lips pressed against hers. Her whole body tingled as she received her first kiss from Izuru. It did not happen in the expected way but that made it so much more exciting. It lacked the awkwardness of that initial kiss given at the end of date to say good night. Instead it was given in the heat of the moment, full of passion and emotion.

"Wow, do you two need a room?" Shuhei asked when the kiss kept going on and on. It was his turn to be surprised and dismayed.

* * *

Aine flitted around the kitchen nervously putting the finishing touches on the dinner. She had kept the menu simple preparing only Irish Stew and soda bread. To her great delight she had been able to find real Irish Guinness beer, and it was a good thing her father had a lot of money because it was not cheap.

Rover announced that Izuru had arrived, and Kisuke commanded him to open the door. Sometimes it was so weird living in a house that talks.

Aine was wiping her hands on her apron while she walked to meet him. Her father had gotten there first and was warmly greeting their guest. She smiled when he winked at her and stepped aside to allow her to say hello to her boyfriend.

"Hi, sweetie," she said, hugging him and tipping up her chin to him for a kiss. She noticed the unsure glance he gave her father before he briefly pecked her on the lips.

"Oh, come on boy! You can do better than that," Kisuke teased, turning to leave the room. "I'll be in the living room. You can come in there when you're done saying hello."

Izuru smiled down at her burying her fingers in her super curly strawberry blond hair. He pressed his lips to hers with sincerity and feeling this time, allowing the kiss to linger.

Aine slid her arms around his waist when his lips gently moved across hers, briefly breaking the kiss then pressing down again. She felt his tongue touch her bottom lip, but now was not the time for that kind of kiss no matter how much she wanted it. Her lips puckered and move from his causing a loud popping sound when the contact was broken. They both began to laugh from the odd and unexpected noise.

"Hey, I have to go check on things. Go on in and talk to Dad," she encouraged him, pointing him toward the living room. After making sure everything was okay, she turned off the burner and grabbed three beers to join them.

The living room was recessed in the corner of the house and she had to walk down four steps to get to it. The house was put together like some big jigsaw puzzle. The architect must have been a big M.C. Escher fan with all of the random and pointless staircases in the house.

The men barely acknowledged her presence, but stopped talking long enough to grab the cold bottles from her. Aine sat beside Izuru and tried to listen to their conversation but it was so far above her head which made her feel like a complete idiot. She did not know whether to be happy or sad that she had found a nerd just like her father to love.

Love. Shuhei's poem came back to her, and she almost choked on her beer. She got up from the couch and walked to the wall of floor to ceiling windows to stare outside. There was a massive pool out back that she had not swam in yet. A huge chrome plated sculpture that looked just like an old fashioned water spigot actually cleaned and pumped the water into the pool. Who the hell designed this house? A refugee from an insane asylum for failed artists? Apparently the landscaper was an escapee from the same institution because the shrubs were trimmed and cultivated into various geometric shapes, spirals, and a few even looked like flying saucers.

"I'm living in the twilight zone," she muttered to herself. She was about to talk to the robotic member of her weird, weird world. "Rover, open the back door."

The whole floor to ceiling panel in front of her made a hiss when the pressurized pneumatic mechanism slid it along the track to open it up for her. "The temperature is eighty five degrees with low humidity and sunny skies, ma'am."

"I don't care, Rover!" she yelled at the overly helpful computer.

"Very good, Miss," he replied. Was that indignation? Only her father could program a computer to be snarky.

Aine sat down in one of the round, nest like papasan chairs on the huge flat deck with no railings or banisters which gave her an unimpeded view of the massive back yard. She wondered how long it would be until they noticed she was gone. Pulling her legs up into the chair to get more comfortable, she watched the sun as it began to drop below the horizon. Her eyelids grew heavy while she watched the eventual descent of the red ball from the sky. How long were they going to keep talking?

"Hey! Aine are we going to eat?" Kisuke yelled, resisting the urge to laugh when the chair flipped over and covered up his daughter who was now sprawled on the deck.

It looked as if a rattan turtle on the deck had drawn its head and legs into its shell. When the edge lifted and her head poked out it was more than he could take. He unleashed a roar of laughter so loud it even surprised him but he could not stop. Izuru appeared behind him and began to snort when he saw the scene.

"Go ahead…laugh," Aine grumpily muttered, throwing off the 'shell' so she could stand up. She turned her nose up in the air and walked past the two men who were now doubled over with laughter and holding their aching bellies.

The rest of the evening was much less humiliating and quite enjoyable. The men raved over the wonderful dinner that was definitely different from the food they usually ate but they had enjoyed it and it was delicious. After a few more beers and a lot more talking, Kisuke decided it was time for him to go to bed.

"I'll give you two kids some time alone," he said, kissing Aine on the cheek and clapping Izuru on the back good naturedly. "Just remember, although I won't be watching you, Rover still has eyes on you."

"Okay, Dad. That's not creepy at all," she muttered, turning into her boyfriend sitting beside her on the couch.

"Good night, sir," Izuru respectfully called after her father.

"So now it's just me and you," Aine murmured, putting her hand on his neck to pull him toward her. "Why don't you give me that kiss you wanted to earlier?"

Without a word, Izuru pressed his lips to hers, pulling her against him. Aine sighed while sliding her arms around his neck. When his tongue touched her bottom lip, she gladly parted her lips to allow it entrance. His hand traced the curve of her lower back and slid over round butt cheek while his tongue tangled with hers. She moaned from deep in her throat when his fingers dug into her behind pulling her tighter against him. Her leg swung across his body so she could straddle his lap.

"Oh, Izuru," she moaned against his lips when her body grazed across the hardness below his belt.

"Mr. Kira I suggest that it is time for you to leave," Rover suddenly spoke up causing them both to jump.

"Rover, shut up! Commence sleep mode," Aine ordered.

"I apologize, Miss, but your father has given me protocols to override any of your commands under certain circumstances. Order denied, Miss," the computer replied.

"What protocols? What circumstances? Why are you not obeying? Explain," she commanded, getting off of her boyfriend's lap now that the mood was completely destroyed.

"Given your raised body temperatures, respiration rates, and hormone levels I calculated you were sixty nine seconds away from copulating," Rover explained.

"Oh, my god! Really? Dad! DAD! Dammit, Kisuke Urahara!" she yelled. She knew he was not asleep yet. He was probably hiding in his office giggling like a schoolgirl.

"Furthermore, Aine, I detected that you have recently ovulated. Should Mr. Kira ejaculate inside you during sex there would be a high possibility of a pregnancy," the computer expounded.

"SHUTUP, DAMN COMPUTER! DAADDDYYYYY!" Aine screamed at the top of her lungs.

By this time, Izuru was laughing loudly and tears were running down his face because he was so mortified he did not know what else to do. He had no idea how such a simple thing as talking to a stranger had lead to a situation like this. Boredom would be the least of his problems with her in his life. He stood up, taking her hand in his. He could see the tears standing in her eyes as he looked at her.

"Aine, it's okay. Look, I should go, anyway. Don't worry. I'll be back. You can't get rid of me that easily," he said, cupping her face with his hands. He kissed her tenderly and chastely as not to alert the overprotective computer.


	4. This is Love

"_Love is the condition in which the happiness _

_of another person is essential to your own." ~ Robert Heinlein_

* * *

This is Love

Kisuke stared at his pretty daughter as they sat in the restaurant waiting for their food to arrive. He was so excited he could barely stand it. The secret had been burning a hole through his brain and his resolve since he had set the appointment on Friday. He could not stand it any longer. One more day of waiting would surely kill him. He did wait long enough for her to swallow the her sip of orange juice before he blurted the good news.

"We have an appointment tomorrow with a building architect and an interior decorator."

Aine's eyes widened and she gazed back at him in disbelief. Was he saying what she thinks he is saying?

"For what?" she calmly inquired to see if her suspicion was correct.

"For your restaurant, my dear. I'm going to build you one," he answered, smiling broadly when her eyes opened even wider.

Aine squealed and jumped out of her chair, throwing herself into his lap to give him a hug. She nearly sent the both of them toppling backwards to the floor in her fervor. She pressed her lips right to his giving their fellow patrons in the restaurant the completely wrong impression. They probably thought he had proposed to his lovely much younger girlfriend by her reaction.

Kisuke did not give a damn what they thought. He was accustomed to people drawing the wrong conclusion about him. One thing he knew was that he loved his daughter and was willing to do anything for her happiness. Seeing her happy made him happy. He wasted so many years being lonely with empty pointless relationships. He had watched his daughter grow up from afar through letters and photos generously sent by her mother. Despite how much she hated him, she had always kept him informed about their daughter. He was just too cowardly to ever go visit and his ex-wife refused to let her daughter return to Japan to visit him. She had said it was too big and too crowded for her innocent daughter and she was right so he had not pressed the issue. There were albums full of the things she had sent to him hidden in his lab at home. Photos, letters, a lock of her hair from her first haircut, pages of her work from school, souvenirs from vacations she and her mother had taken, and other various mementos. He appreciated that his wife had not sent "Glad you're not here" postcards from their vacations. He would have deserved it.

"Oh, Daddy! I'm so happy!" she squealed, hopping out of his lap and ignoring the gaping people sitting around them. These poor people never imagined anything like this when they came to this stately restaurant for a quiet Sunday morning brunch.

"Well, good, sweetheart, I'm happy because you are," he said, sneakily wiping away the tears that leaked from the corner of his eyes. He had to talk to that boyfriend of hers as well. He wanted to know the kid's true intentions for his daughter before their relationship went on much longer. She would never suffer another broken heart while he was around.

* * *

Aine stared at the plain, square, two story building that looked like a huge cement block with windows decorated only with staircases to nowhere carved into the sides at the corners. This building is definitely by the architect that designed her father's house. Inside it had the same random array of sunken and raised floors leading to different rooms. The staircase to the second floor appeared to be suspended in midair. The furniture in the building definitely pointed to the same designer ranging from the whimsical such as a couch shape like a set of lips and a chair like a high heeled shoe to the weird such as a chair designed to look like an electric chair where execution's had taken place.

"Daddy! I really don't want these people to design my restaurant. They are completely insane," Aine whispered as she stared at what she thought was a desk but it could be an optical illusion. Wavy blue stripes seemed to float in the air but she believed they were pressed between two thick sheets of plastic to make the desk top. She tentatively reached forward finding the solid yet clear surface. "Why in the hell do they like so much freaking invisible furniture? That could be a liability in a restaurant you know? People falling on their asses because they can't find their chairs. Bumping into tables. Those kinds of things."

"Pick whatever you want, sweetheart. They will be working for you. You're not required to blindly follow their suggestions. I just allowed them to have creative license with designing the house," Kisuke said, shrugging as if to take the burden of responsibility off his shoulders.

"Oh, come on, Dad!" she snapped, folding her arms over her chest to glare at him. "Admit it! You were just being lazy and let them do whatever they wanted to do."

Kisuke smiled without saying a word. He figured it was best just to keep his mouth shut at this point. Anything he said after that would cause him to incriminate himself. His girl already knew him quite well.

"Hi!" a high pitched cheery voice called.

'Oh, dear Lord. It's too early in the morning to be that happy,' Aine thought to herself. Then she turned to see the source of the voice. "Holy crap!" she exclaimed, receiving an elbow in her ribs from her father. A woman with dark orange hair and blank brown eyes stood there waving. Her double D breasts appeared to be crammed into a D sized bra and her shirt should have been at least one size bigger. The man standing next to her would have looked Dracula if it were not for his huge, stunning green eyes. His skin appeared to have never seen the light of day and his shaggy hair was the blackest black possible.

"Aine, this is Orihime Inoue. She's the interior designer. This is Ulquiorra Schiffer. He is the building architect," her father introduced her to both people.

Aine shook their hands. She was not surprised by the limp wristed, ultra-feminine handshake from Orihime. The man did surprise her with his firm yet gentle handshake while he looked her straight in the eyes. She actually had to look away from him because it felt as if he was staring into her very soul – and wanted to rip it out. When he spoke it made her nearly jump out of her skin because she had not been expecting such a deep rich voice from such a small skinny man.

"We already have some plans and ideas laid out in the office. Shall we get down to business?" he inquired in a no nonsense manner.

Aine felt as if she was being led to her death when he put his arm around her waist to lead her to his office. This guy gave her the creeps in a big way. She was relieved when he took his hand off of her and stepped away when they entered his office. Everything was white, shockingly white, even the carpet. Her head hurt already. After two hours of looking over building designs, she picked just a basic, single floor rectangular building with a completely flat floor, no stairs or steps at all.

"Can I take a break?" she inquired, but the other three did not seem to notice. They were arguing about the plain, boring plan she had picked. She shook her head and walked out. She gasped in surprise when she saw a handsome man with spikey orange hair sitting at the desk she had been looking at earlier.

"So you're Urahara's daughter?" he inquired grumpily, scowling at her.

Wow. Mr. Personality sure knows how to make a person feel welcome. "Yes. Urahara's daughter has a first name. It's Aine," she responded snarkily. She felt decidedly uncomfortable when he quietly looked her over with his sharp, flashing brown eyes.

"You're not from around here are you?" he asked with an orange eyebrow raised in curiosity.

Aine retorted bitchily, "How did you figure that out?" Duh! People around here don't have dark auburn hair and emerald green eyes. Not naturally. Speaking of… look at that hair color on him. "So what's up with you? How did you get that hair color? Out of a bottle?"

Aine watched his lips turn into a thin line of rage. Oops. Obviously she hit a sore spot. She had a talent for that.

"NO!" he yelled in an almost childish manner. "I got it from my mother's side of the family. She's dead. She died when I was a kid."

Now she felt like a complete ass. She reached out to touch his hand, pleasantly surprised when he did not recoil from her. "I'm sorry," she apologized, noticing his anger had turned to sadness. "I got my hair color from my mom. She just recently died."

"Oh, my condolences, Miss Urahara," he said politely, lowering his eyes from hers.

"You can call me Aine," she told him, watching a smile form on his lips. For some reason that made her feel special.

"I'm Ichigo Kurosaki. Nice to meet you, Aine. Would you like something to drink? Water?" he asked, standing up from his freaky transparent chair.

"Anything stronger?" she inquired, following him to a small kitchen tucked in the back corner.

"Soda?" he asked, smiling at her even more broadly now. "If you would like something stronger than that I could take you out later."

Aine chewed on her lower lip as she stared into his warm brown eyes that made her feel warm all over. Oh, the temptation. Dammit. "I'm afraid I can't. I already have plans," she said because she did indeed have a date with Izuru.

"Maybe another time then," he rejoined good naturedly, placing his big hand on her shoulder before sliding it down her arm.

Aine gulped, feeling her skin prickle and erupt in goose bumps from his sensuous touch as his brown eyes held her green ones in a disturbingly intense gaze. She really needed that water now. As if he could read her thoughts, he moved to the refrigerator to retrieve a bottle. Instead of just handing it to her, he placed it against her neck, staring at her as she inhaled sharply and closed her eyes.

"What's wrong, Aine? You look a little hot." His voice was overtly seductive when spoke. He moved the cold bottle down to her chest making her gasp again.

Aine could feel him standing extremely close to her with his body heat radiating to her. That wasn't the only thing radiating to her. If Izuru wasn't her boyfriend, she would be all over this man right here in this office. But she would not betray a good man to love for a bad case of lust. She took the bottle of water from his hand while opening her eyes to look at him. "Thank you. I better get back to my meeting," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

'Now, move, damn you,' her brain yelled at her body. Thankfully her body responded wonderfully and her legs walked her right back to the office where the three people were still arguing. She gulped down the whole bottle water then decided to speak up.

"Hey! People! Who's building is this anyway?" Aine demanded, pausing for dramatic effect not an answer. "It's mine! You two work for me and do as I say or I will find someone who will. Do you understand?"

Orihime pouted and Ulquiorra glowered. They will get over it.

* * *

"Can't we find someone else?" Aine whined on the way home. She was physically tired from the emotional toll the day had taken on her. Between the space cadet designers and the sexy administrative assistant, she was not sure she could handle that architect firm. "I need a nap."

"Aren't you going out with Izuru tonight?" Kisuke inquired.

"Yes. We're going to _The Black Quill_," she answered.

"Again. Isn't that place like a beatnik throwback from the fifties?"

"Why yes it is, pops!"

"Smartass!"

* * *

Aine groaned and rolled over. She had fallen asleep soon after her head had touched the pillow. It was a deep, hard sleep that she was having trouble waking up from.

"Miss, Izuru Kira has arrived," Rover informed her.

"Where's Dad? Can he talk to him?" she sleepily asked the computer. She did not want to get up yet.

"He is not here at this time. He had an emergency to tend to at the lab."

"What's her name, Rover?"

"Brittany, Miss."

"Dammit, Dad," Aine muttered, rolling over onto her back. "Let him in, Rover. Send him up."

"But Miss, your bedroom…"

"Send him up damned computer!" she yelled, getting grouchy. Great. The computer has fatherly instincts.

"Welcome, Izuru Kira. Please follow the path I have marked for you to Miss Aine's room," Rover announced as the door slid open.

Izuru watched as tiny LED lights lit up along the stairs and on the floor to literally point the way to her room. Her room! His heart sped up with the thought. And her Dad's not home. This situation could get out of hand. A smile tilted his lips when he thought about losing control with her. He bounded up the steps two at a time and followed the tiny white lights around the corner. They surrounded her door and lit it up like a beacon at the end of the dark hall. He turned the knob and walked in. Unfortunately he could not see anything because it was too dark.

"Rover, lights. Soft lights," Aine's voice came from the dark. A muted pinkish glow filled the room and he could see her silhouetted form lying amongst the pile of white sheets with tiny pink roses on them and pink blankets. His smile grew bigger. It appeared her father had taken the "It's a girl!" approach to decorating her room. Everything was white and pink and covered with small pink flowers.

"I hate this room," she mumbled. "I can hear you thinking. I thought it myself when I first saw this room. It's a pastel nightmare unless you're a seven year old girl. I might be a girl but I'm not seven."

Izuru sat down on the bed beside her, pushing the hair out of her face. He bent down to kiss her on the cheek feeling her lips under his instead when she turned at the last second.

"Hello, sweetie," she murmured, sliding her arms around his neck. She groaned in his ear in a sleepy manner which woke something up in him.

"Aine, we need to leave," he said, pulling her to a sitting position. 'Before I make love to you right now,' he thought to himself, brushing his fingers over her lightly freckled cheeks.

"All right. Give me a second." She fell back on the bed and curled into a little ball.

"Get up, lazy!" he exclaimed, slapping her on the behind.

Aine sprang up and pounced on him like a cat, knocking him over on his back. She was lying on his chest giggling when he pressed his lips to hers again. She stopped laughing and kissed him back. Her body was immediately wide awake and excited that he was here. A moan was stifled between their mouths when his tongue slid across hers. It was his turn to moan when she moved her hips against his.

"We shouldn't," he panted although he wanted to so sooo much.

"I know. Give me a minute," she said, hopping up from the bed. She grabbed some clothes out of the closet and went to the bathroom to get ready. A deep sigh of frustration from ungratified sexual desire puffed out of her. She dressed quickly in her jeans and purple poet's shirt with a huge ruffle down the front.

"At least it's not pink," Izuru joked when she walked back into the bedroom.

"Ready?"

"Yes." Boy, was he ready.

* * *

Shuhei enclosed her in a big bear hug kissing her on the neck. He was a consummate flirt, but he had no intentions of it leading to anything. He took her hand and pulled her to the same booth they always sat in from that very first night he met her.

The two poets and the grumpy white haired man were sitting at the table next to them like usual. They waved and she waved back. Their names were Hana, Momo, and Toshiro; Toshiro being the resident grouch. He was like a grumpy seventy year old man trapped in a young man's body. If wasn't so quiet natured, he would probably be a heckler to the poets. Hana's poetry was improving thanks to the influence of Momo who was learning to speak up a bit.

Shuhei had even dropped using four letter words in his poems in favor of using less colorful language for more descriptive terminology. He even got daring a few times and wrote something that rhymed and on a rare occasion wrote a poem about joyful, happy things. Even he could not understand the change in himself.

"I've got a surprise for you. I'll be right back," Izuru said, kissing her lips before he walked away.

"What's he up to?" she asked Shuhei who shrugged but his mischievous smile gave him away. He knew but wasn't telling.

"Look," he said, turning her face with his fingers pressed against her cheek toward the stage.

Aine gaped in surprise when she saw Izuru on stage. She had yet to hear any of his poems so this would be a first. She settled against Shuhei as if he was part of the furniture instead of a person. He did not seem to mind though; he never has before.

Izuru cleared his throat and began.

_For my sorrow, you gave me happiness._

_For my pain, you gave me comfort._

_For my loneliness, you gave me love._

Aine felt tears in her eyes. It was not a rambling epic, but it had punched her right in the emotional gut. Her shaking fingers went to her lips when he continued to stand on stage. She watched as he took a deep breath and stuck his hand in the pocket of his jeans. She became aware that Shuhei was pushing her out of the seat. He grabbed her around the shoulders before pushing her out onto the floor and led her to the edge of the stage. She stared up at Izuru in confusion when he knelt down on the stage to be closer to her.

"For all that you have given me, I want to give you something back," he said, opening the ring box he held in his hand. "I can't offer you much except my heart. Will you take it?"

Aine stared at the small, heart shaped diamond solitaire ring. Was this a marriage proposal or what is this? She looked up at him questioningly while her knees began to turn to gelatin. She was thankful Shuhei was an intuitive man and had stayed beside her to hold her up.

"Can I love you? Will you be mine forever?" Izuru asked, taking the ring out of the box.

"Izuru Kira, there's nothing I would like more in this life than to love you and be loved by you," she replied, holding out her hand for the ring.

There was an eerie silence in the room until he slipped the ring on her finger and he leaned further down to kiss her. The room erupted into clapping and cheers.

So was she engaged or just committed? Either way, she belonged to him and she was happy about it.

* * *

_Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words. ~Robert Frost_


	5. Plans for the Future

Plans for the Future

"So what does it mean?" Kisuke asked in confusion.

"I guess you could call it a promise ring. It's not an official engagement. It's more of a profession of intentions for the future," Aine explained, bumping Izuru's leg repeatedly with her knee. They were sitting side by side on the couch across from her father who sat staring at them suspiciously.

"Nicely put," Izuru murmured from the corner of his mouth.

"Thanks," she mumbled back.

"So it's a betrothal between the two of you?" he asked, reaching out his hand for Aine's. He wanted to see the ring again. It was very sweet. But he wondered how long it would really last. They were young and they both had goals going in divergent directions. He wondered how much they had really talked about this.

"Aine, there's something I need to tell you," Izuru said, turning to her and taking her hands between his.

"Should I leave?" her father asked already preparing to stand up.

"No, sir. It's something you and I have already discussed," he answered her father before turning back to her. "I'll be leaving in a month to go the United States. I'm going for an internship with one of the most prominent psychologists there."

"There are no prominent psychologists here in Japan?" she inquired, pulling her hands from between his.

"I was personally invited by this man. He sought me out. I can't let this opportunity pass me by," he said, the desperation in his voice tugged at her heart.

Aine understood pursuing a dream. She was going after her own. Too bad their dreams would be what separates them. She stood up, walking to the window to stare out. Tears burned behind her eyelids, but she refused to let them fall.

"How long will you be gone?" she asked without turning around to look at him. There was a long pause – too long.

"Two years," he answered, wincing as the strangled sob escaped her throat.

Kisuke pressed his fingertips into his temple. He should have known this was coming. He should have just left the room. Upon hearing another whimper from her, he decided he had all he could take and got up to leave. With a squeeze of Izuru's shoulder in an attempt to reassure him that he understood and it was all right, he quickly exited the room. He would take care of his daughter later.

"When will you leave?" she inquired, staring out at the pool and its ridiculous faucet shaped pump.

"Next week," he replied, leaning back on the couch as if the force from her abrupt turn had blown him back.

"When were you planning on telling me? When we were standing at the airport gate?" she yelled, stomping toward him. "Or did you even intend for me to see you off? Would I have even gotten a text message letting me know you left?"

"I-I don't kn-know," he stuttered, his eyes wide with terror as the irate woman glowered down at him. "This has been killing me. I knew you'd be upset so I have put off telling you."

"Apparently," she spat out hatefully. She snatched the ring off her finger, holding it in his face. "And this! Why in the hell did you give me this? To tie me down? To make me wait for you?"

"No! That was never my intention. I just wanted you to know how I truly felt about you before I left. I-"He was quickly cut off by her throwing the ring in his face. It bounced off his nose and flew back toward her. The pinging sound of it hitting the floor echoed through the air.

"Get out!" she yelled, pointing toward the door. She unleashed a string of curses in ancient Irish Gaelic just like her mother used to do. "I have dreams, and I plan to achieve them! I can do it with or without a man by my side, dammit! If it has to be without, so be it! My mother was right! Men are only good for one thing and some are useless in that area too! And I wouldn't even know if you're good in bed or not because we haven't gotten to that yet."

Izuru stood up, backing away as the barrage of words continued. He got to see the legendary fiery temper notably given to redheads, especially Irish redheads, first hand. Her father had warned him about this. Damn what a spectacle. Her face was red and her green eyes practically glowed with fury. She reminded him of a fire breathing dragon. His retreat was stopped when his back made contact with the front door.

Rover helped him out and slid open the door causing him to nearly fall backwards onto the small square front porch. He quickly recovered and turned to walk down the steps.

"Don't you turn your back on me, Izuru Kira!" she screamed like a demon. She unleashed another string of Gaelic cursing following him down the steps.

"We'll talk about this when you're a little calmer. I love you! Call you tomorrow!" he yelled, jumping on his motorcycle to make a fast retreat. He did not even bother with the helmet.

Aine watched him go, dropping to her knees on the cement driveway. It hurt, but not nearly as much as the pain in her heart. She threw back her head and screamed at the top of her lungs. A pair of arms enveloped her, and she was being rocked back and forth slowly like a child.

"Oh, baby, I'm sorry," Kisuke whispered, kissing her forehead. "Please stop crying. Calm down."

"Daddy! I don't want to stop crying! I don't want to calm down!" she wailed like a two year old throwing a tantrum. "I want it to stop hurting."

"Baby, please quit being so overdramatic," he begged, still rocking her.

"I like being overdramatic! I'm a girl, dammit!" she sobbed, turning her face into his dark green t-shirt to soak it down with tears.

Kisuke began to chuckle. He couldn't help himself. "Oh, Aine, quit it! You're not thirteen anymore, and he's not your first crush," he admonished her lightly, unable to stifle the laughter.

"Daddy! You're so mean, Kisuke Urahara!" she yelled, hitting him playfully. When he laughed even harder, she balled up her fist and socked him hard in the arm. "Dammit, Daddy!"

Kisuke grabbed her hands when she began hitting hard enough to hurt him. "Baby, I love you. Just calm down. Give the boy a chance. It's a big shock, but you'll get over it. Come on," he said, pulling her to her feet. "There are some Guinness beers inside with our names on them."

* * *

On the way to the architect firm, Aine texted Izuru: _I'm sorry. I want to talk to you. Come by tonight._ She quickly tucked her phone into the bottom of her purse to prevent herself from obsessively staring at it. The alert beep sounded before she even zipped her purse and sent her scrabbling through the contents to get her phone. _Ok_ – was the reply. Good enough.

Aine's elation did not last long. Today would surely be the day from hell. Today would be the day when she picked out the interior design elements: wall colors, floors, furnishings, the whole nine yards. Orihime was waiting for her in the foyer of the office.

"Can I get a cup of coffee before we begin?" Aine asked, staring at the disturbingly perky woman.

"Ichigo –" Orihime started to ask her assistant to make the coffee but he had heard the request.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going," he grumbled, getting up from his desk.

"I'll go get the books set out," she said, disappearing down the hall with Kisuke slowly strolling behind her.

Aine went to the kitchen to talk to the grouchy Administrative Assistant. She leaned against the counter as she casually observed him getting it ready.

"What's up, Princess? Come to see how real people work," he snapped, pressing the button to start it.

"I am real people, asshole. I've worked as a waitress since I was fifteen years old. It was just my Mom and I so I had to work to help pay bills. Life has gotten much easier since I came to live with my father. I just quit my job as a matter of fact so I would have time to devote to my restaurant. I'm lucky," she admitted, glaring at him while he scowled at her. What's with this guy? He's like a light bulb – he's on or he's off. Right now with that frown he was definitely off.

"So what's your deal, Princess? Just using dear old Daddy to get whatever you want?" he asked rather intrusively.

"I don't think that's really any of your business," she snapped back.

"It's not. I'm just fascinated by you," he murmured, backing her into the corner. He grabbed her hand, pulling it up to his face when he saw the ring. "What's this?"

"A gift from my boyfriend," she answered trying to pull her hand from his. It had taken her more than hour to find the ring.

"Boyfriend huh? Are you engaged then?" he asked, laying her hand flat against his chest.

Aine bit her lower lip when she felt his muscles ripple underneath her hand. Damn him. Her eyes avoided his, instead allowing her attention to go to the coffee pot. "It's done."

"What?"

"The coffee. It's done," she repeated, pointing to the machine when he stared at her blankly. Apparently his blood flow had been rerouted from his brain, and it made him stupid. "Do you have any cream?"

A lecherous grin spread across his lips. Aine prepared herself for the provocative statement that would surely be flying out of his mouth.

"I've got some cream for you but it's up to you to get it out," he said, grazing her belly with the mound growing in his pants.

"Damn, you're nasty. You horny little perv," she admonished, pushing past him to find a coffee cup. It showed all over his crestfallen countenance that he was shocked and disappointed at her mild reaction. "I've been a waitress in pubs my whole life. Even you would be shocked what men have said to me."

"At fifteen?"

"It was a small village. Everyone knows everyone and nobody cares."

"Oh."

"Aine! Come on, baby, we need you," her father yelled from down the hall.

"They're not the only ones," Ichigo whispered to her, kissing her cheek.

"Oh, you flatterer. Things men will say to get into a girl's pants," she stated in a very unaffected, almost bored voice. She hurriedly dumped some of the powdered cream into her coffee and stirred it. She hated that fake stuff, but she needed her caffeine.

"See ya later, Princess," he said, rubbing his bulging crotch in a way to purposely bring her attention to it.

Aine winked then licked her lips in an overtly suggestive manner before walking away. She giggled when she heard him curse under his breath after her retreat.

* * *

"No, no, NO! You twit!" Aine's voice echoed through the office. "I want maroon, black, gold, and beige. I don't care what it's called. Vampire's Blood, Ebony, Pyrite, and Ecru works for me if it's those damn colors. I don't want carpet! Not in a restaurant, you birdbrain! I want mahogany colored hardwood flooring and beige walls."

"But these other colors are so pretty!" she protested holding up the fan that not only looked like a peacock but were peacock colors. "Blueberry, Lime, grape, chocolate…"

"It's a restaurant but that's just taking it too far. Besides, aren't those ice cream flavors not colors? It's not an ice cream parlor!" the redhead protested glaring at the undaunted and totally clueless orangehead.

Kisuke was barely able to contain himself as he watched the one sided war of words. The interior designer was clearly at a disadvantage but his daughter would take no prisoners and was out for blood in this battle. She refused to back down and acquiesce to the ditzy designer's ideas. He took a deep breath to prepare for the next battle – furniture.

* * *

Aine nervously toyed with the ring on her finger as she waited for Izuru to arrive. Her father was out for the night so it would be the two of them alone in the house. Well, there was Rover. He's always watching. A shiver raced through her. Hollywood made movies about killer computers. Her paranoia had gotten out of bounds. She went to the kitchen to pour a glass of wine.

"Mr. Izuru Kira has arrived, Miss," Rover announced.

"Open the door, please," she responded, gulping half of the glass of wine. She listened to the hiss of the door moving and the computer informing him of her location.

"Aine," he called, coming around the corner. He grunted when he was grabbed and assaulted with a hard kiss. "Oh, Aine," he gasped, breathless after the unexpectedly ardent kiss.

"I'm sorry,"she apologized, kissing him again. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said, pulling her into his arms for a strong embrace.

"I'll miss you so much. I just can't believe you're leaving me. Our relationship just started. But I understand. I'm sure all of this was planned before you met me." She continued to hang onto him with her head pressed against his chest. She did not want to have to let him go.

"We have a few more days. Let's make the most of them."


	6. The Long GoodBye

The Long Good-Bye

Aine awoke with Izuru lying next to her in her bed. Nothing happened last night except a long conversation. They held each other and talked all night long until falling asleep. The precious few moments they had left together were quickly ticking away. She smiled when she realized even in his sleep he was holding her hand tightly. Edging closer to him, she pressed her lips to his. She kissed him again, causing him to begin waking up.

"Good morning," she said softly, kissing his cheek. She pushed his long blond bangs out of his face so she could see both of his beautiful blue eyes.

"Morning," he replied, pulling her close to him. He embraced her tightly, throwing his leg over her as he kissed her.

Aine began giggling as he attempted to wrap himself around her to get as close as possible. When their bodies grazed each other beneath their waists, she immediately quit laughing. She moved against him again causing him to inhale sharply.

"Aine, we can't," he gasped, grabbing her head. He pressed his forehead against her lips, moaning helplessly as she rubbed his body with hers. "Sweetheart, please stop."

"Why, Izuru? Why can't we do this?" she asked, pulling his chin up to kiss his lips.

"Because your father is home and knows what you're doing," Kisuke's voice came through Rover's intercom.

"Does that answer your question?" Izuru remarked, sighing loudly. "Good morning, sir. I didn't have sex with your daughter last night."

"I know. You're a good kid. Mine not so much. We need to have a talk later, my dear," her father informed her. "We need to get to our meeting with Orihime!"

"Oh, god," Aine groaned, rolling over on her belly to bury her face into her pillow. "Daddy, a few more minutes?"

"Ten minutes," he allowed her. He turned off the intercom with an audible click.

"Izuru, I love you," she said, pressing her lips to his.

"I love you too. I'll be back tonight." He held her close and kissed her back.

Three days were left before he leaves.

* * *

Aine walked into the architect's office disappointed to not see her orange haired tease sitting at his desk. She poked her lips out in a pout and followed her father to Orihime's office. A smile spread across her face when she saw him in there arranging a tray of pastries and coffee on the middle of the table. Her bones felt like they were melting when he looked at her and smiled. What the hell was wrong with her? Her boyfriend was leaving in three days and here she was flirting with the concupiscent administrative assistant of her aggravating and brainless interior decorator. She stepped back as he moved toward her with one of the pastries on a napkin in his hand. Fate has a way of being simply hilarious sometimes. It was her favorite pastry which also happens to be a long round crème filled confection called a Cream Horn.

"I've got something special just for you, Princess," Ichigo said, sticking his finger in the open end of the pastry to cover it with cream. Wow! The only person that could miss that kind of suggestiveness would have to be blind.

Aine made a startled sound something like "mmph" when he shoved his finger between her lips. This guy was as subtle as the heart attack he was about to give her. The creamy sweetness filled her mouth, and she could not help but suck on his finger.

"What do you think?" he asked, pulling his finger out of her mouth so she could answer. He absentmindedly stuck his finger in his mouth while staring at her.

"I think you're a lewd little prick," she snapped, glaring at him. She snatched the pastry out of his hand before he could take it away. "But I want the Cream Horn."

"I'll admit to being lewd. But little and prick usually don't ever go in the same sentence in reference to me," he retorted brazenly.

"So you admit you're a _big_ prick?" she asked snarkily, taking a bite of the creamy confection.

"No, but I have one," he rejoined moving closer to her.

"You know, size does matter in reference to that. Any woman that tells you differently is a lying bitch. And by the way, five inches does not equal eight no matter how much you want to."

"That's good because I'm nine actually."

Aine was taken aback momentarily. Nine? Only his dreams! Or maybe hers. She shook her head taking another bite of the heavenly pastry.

"Let me take you on a date," he said, pulling her into his arms. This was the second time he had officially asked her out on a date.

Aine glanced toward the back corner of the office where her father was talking to Orihime. She watched at the woman giggled and tucked her hair behind her ear. Oh, ewww! Her father was flirting with the woman; no wonder neither of them noticed what was going on with her and Ichigo.

"You don't give up easily do you?" she inquired, shoving the last bite in her mouth before he could kiss her.

"You're a pig," he accused, kissing her cheek.

"Takes one to know one," she mumbled with her mouth full. She remembered when Izuru called her a little piggy.

"You're still sexy as hell despite your self- sabotage." He let her go and walked out of the room.

Aine had to admit the man had an uncanny sense of timing. The other two people were on their way over to the table as the door was closing behind him. She would be choosing dishes, linens, and appliances today. Maybe there would not be too much to fight over.

* * *

"Why are you damn mean, Aine?" Kisuke inquired bluntly on the way home.

"Why is she so stupid? It's not my fault," she replied in her typical smart aleck way. "What was the deal with you flirting with her, Dad?"

"I'm surprised you noticed with her lips around the finger of that carrot topped assistant. Do you have any idea what that does to a man?" he asked, blushing with the thought.

"It wasn't my fault! He shoved it in!" she protested, watching her father's blush get darker. How could he have seen that?

"Oh, dear Lord, Aine!" Her father thought he might faint after hearing that. He had to change subjects quickly. "Is Izuru coming over?"

"Yes. We're planning on staying at the house. Pizza, beer, and a movie," she said, staring out of the window.

"Are you planning on giving him a _special _going away present?" her father queried, staring straight ahead.

"Kisuke Urahara, you are a _special_ kind of pervert," she countered, smiling at the noisy sigh of exasperation he blew out. "Probably not, Dad. He keeps putting me off."

"Is he gay?"

"Daddy!"

"Well…that assistant of Orihime's would take you right there in the office," he pointed out.

"He's a special kind of pervert too," she snapped, growing warm all over thinking about the extraordinarily forward man. What the hell? Why do thoughts of him keep effecting her that way?

"Are you saying I have something in common with him?"

"Well…"

* * *

Aine cuddled up to Izuru as they watched the movie. Unfortunately, it did not take long for her to fall asleep. When she woke up the ending credits of the movie were rolling up the screen. She reached to take the remote from his hand because he was asleep too.

"Do you want to sleep here or come to my room?" she inquired, kissing his lips.

"Can we just stay here? I just want to hold you," he said, pulling her back into his arms.

Aine grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch to cover them up. Tomorrow they would be down to two days.

* * *

This would be their last night together. The night before they had spent at _The Black Quill_. Tonight would be all about them and she had that something special planned her father had hinted around about. Aine started lighting the dozens of candles she had arranged in her room. She changed into her short silk nightgown that was same color of blue as his eyes.

"Rover, lead him up here then go into sleep mode," she ordered the nosey computer.

"Yes, Miss," he responded dutifully.

Aine lay down on the bed closing her eyes. She pressed her hands over her wildly beating heart, willing it to calm down. One last night – hopefully not forever but right now two years seemed like forever. Her eyes popped open when she heard Rover's response to Izuru. Her heart picked up cadence again and her chest heaved for air.

"Aine, sweetheart…oh, my god," he gasped, freezing in the doorway with the dozen roses in his hand.

Aine took his hand, pulling him into the room and closing the door behind him. She smiled, pushing his hair out of his face so she could see both of his surprise widened eyes. Her hand slid down his neck as she moved closer to him. Without a word, she took the roses from him and threw them into the chair beside her bed. With one hand on his shoulder and the other resting on his waist, she stood on her tiptoes to reach his lips. She sighed against his lips when he put both of his hands around her waist and lifted her the rest of the way to his mouth. Excitement coursed through her body and raised goose bumps across her skin when his hands slid down and cupped her behind to get a better grip on her.

"Are you sure?" he asked, staring into her eyes.

"I'm sure," she answered, wrapping her legs around his waist when he pulled her higher. She pressed her mouth to his for a delicate kiss as he walked toward the bed.

Izuru sat her down, carefully laying her back. He kissed her briefly before standing back up. Pulling his t-shirt over his head, then taking off his jeans, he stripped down to his boxers before lying down next to her on the bed. He would not deny her any longer. All along he had wanted her as much as she wanted him. It seemed appropriate yet sad that they would save this for their last night together. His lips pressed to hers for another kiss in a line of many more to come.

Aine held her breath when she felt his fingers on the thin strap of her nightie sliding downward. She gasped for much needed air when his fingers trailed over her sensitive nipple that was already and erect with the anticipation of his touch. A moan was muffled between their mouths when his tongue slid between her lips to search her mouth and savor her tongue.

For hours they kissed, licked, caressed, stroked, tickled, and slowly devoured each other's bodies with passion. They searched and explored every inch, experimenting to find out what felt the most pleasurable. By the time they finally got around to actual intercourse they were already breathless and raw from pleasure. They had each actually experienced several orgasms from their long slow investigation of each other's bodies by using their mouths and hands. After short periods of rest involving nothing more than hugging and kissing, Izuru was ready to go again. Now it was time for the big, final moment.

Aine looked at him with tears in her eyes. Endings were rarely happy, and this was by far one of the unhappiest endings she had ever experienced. She leaned forward to kiss him. Her lips were sore so she was very gentle using light pressure. She lay down, pulling him down on top of her.

Izuru carefully settled between her legs positioning himself to slide into her. He kissed her, then pushed up on his hands to watch her face as he entered her. He pushed in a few inches and immediately had to stop before he lost control.

Aine held his ardent gaze in the soft glow of the nearly completely burned down candles. She raised her hips slightly to show him she wanted more. The arousal was almost unbearable as he slid into her then pulled back slightly before pushing in further. Her body was trembling under him. This moment was even more poignant and emotional than she had imagined. When he was completely ensconced within her, she held him tightly pressing kisses to his neck and face.

"I love you. Never forget that," he whispered, moving his hips.

Aine could not speak as he moved within her because of the intense pleasure racking her body. She found her voice and cried out his name, pushing her hips up at him. Their lovemaking was unhurried and passionate like their extended foreplay had been. They were desperately trying to prolong their time together by making this loving moment last as long as possible.

"Izuru, I love you," she moaned, kissing him as the desire began to build within her.

"Aine, I can't wait much longer," he warned her, holding her close to him when his hips began to move faster.

They were holding each other so strongly, so anxious to cling to each other, all that moved was their hips. They called each other's names over and over, professing their love and making all sorts of promises they both desired to keep but did not know if they could. When the end came, it was devastating emotionally as well as physically driving them both to tears as their bodies were almost tortured with pleasure. For a while, all they could do was gasp for air and shake in each other's arms as their bodies recovered from the incredible power of the ecstasy and overpowering emotions that had been shared. What a terribly wonderful way to say good-bye. Aine snuggled into him and they fell asleep. In twelve hours he would be going to the airport for what they hoped would be the beginning of a temporary two year separation.

* * *

Aine opted for saying her good byes to him at the house rather than the airport because she knew she would be an emotional wreck. Their final few minutes was just as heart wrenching and emotionally trying as she thought they would be. Unfortunately, Kisuke was not here this time to hold her as she cried in the driveway. Her father went on to the architect firm to finalize her decisions on the fixtures for the restaurant. She told him she would most likely not be ready to go back to planning until Monday. He understood and allowed her to have the rest of the week and the weekend to pull herself back together.

On Monday, Ichigo greeted her with a wildflower bouquet and a hug. No lewd remarks, not even a salacious glance came from him on that day. Obviously her father had told him what was going on with her and to be nice. She was happy about that. That night she finally received an email from Izuru that he was in his new apartment, and he had his internet up and running so he could keep in contact with her. The first few weeks they sent emails morning and night. Eventually it became just one a day. She knew he was busy and so was she therefore she tried not to think too much about it.

Aine was not happy about how this long distance was relationship was going. However, she could not say she was surprised. It's hard to keep in touch emotionally through a computer. He had been gone for six weeks now. Two weeks later she realized she had a much, much bigger problem.


	7. An Unexpected Reminder

An Unexpected Reminder

Aine had invited her father to brunch at the same restaurant where he made the announcement about fulfilling her dream. Unfortunately, she had an announcement to make that had the potential of becoming a nightmare. She wanted to do it in a public place so he could not kill her. If Rover knew about her secret from one of the body scans that he was programmed to perform on a weekly basis, he had either not picked it up or simply hidden it away in a data file her father had not read yet. His reason for the scans was that he was only trying to keep them at optimum health. To call her father nosey did not quite capture it, but invasive seemed a little too harsh. Concerned might be a better term. He made her feel like she was sixteen all over again. It made her smile to think he only did it because he loved her.

"Is there something you needed to tell me?" he asked, gazing at her suspiciously as she gingerly sipped her orange juice instead of her usual mimosa cocktail of champagne and orange juice.

Aine took a deep breath and closed her eyes. 'Okay. Here goes. There was no way to do this gently so just do it,' she told herself silently. She opened her eyes and looked at her father who was now wearing his official worried Dad expression with his forehead wrinkled up and his eyebrows raised while the corners of his mouth turned downward. It was an almost hilarious expression but right now she not feel like laughing. "Daddy, I'm pregnant."

Kisuke felt nauseated instantly. He already knew but hearing it out loud did not make it any easier. He wondered how long it would be before she finally told him. The unsettling feeling had been needling him daily since the sixth week after Izuru left. He knew what they had done. The proof was all over her face the next day. She had that satisfied glow about her, and he had ignored it, pushing it aside. Then a month later he had heard her throwing up in the middle of the night. Even the damn computer had lied for her saying it was a stomach virus. A virus indeed - one that cures itself in nine months. Rover had even hidden information from the body scans by her request he was sure. He knew it but never hunted for it to confirm his misgivings. He had seriously underestimated his daughter's ability to override protocols of the computer.

"Daddy? Are you angry?" she asked, staring down at her plate of uneaten food.

"No, baby. I'm not angry. Just disappointed. Afraid," he said, rubbing his temples when his head began to ache. There was something he needed to tell her; something he never thought he would have to tell her. History has an unfortunate way of repeating itself. "Sweetheart, there's something you need to know."

Aine felt her body trembling and nausea threatened to overwhelm her, more from her emotional state rather than morning sickness. She raised her eyes to her father who now looked ready to cry. Disappointed. Afraid. Wow, what else did he feel? Ashamed? Remorseful?

"Aine, did you mother ever tell you how we met?" he inquired, meeting her gaze.

"She said you met at the university. You were in a chemistry class together, and she was your lab partner," she said, wondering why he was asking about this.

"Did she tell you anything else?" he asked, avoiding her gaze.

"No, Daddy. Why?" She was getting nervous. Where was he going with this?

"Aine, your mother and I began a relationship and we loved each other so much. Summer break was coming and we knew she was about to return to Ireland to spend the summer with her parents. So we decided to…" He blushed violently and opened his hands in a pleading gesture so she would understand what he was getting at without saying it.

"Yeah, okay I got it Dad," she quickly said, pressing her hand against her forehead. No one wants to think about their parents having sex. Even though it's quite clear they had sex at least once to account for her existence, she did not care to get a mental image.

"When she did not return to school that fall I had no idea what happened. I sent letters. I called. They all went unanswered so next summer break I took a trip." He paused, scratching the back of his head self-consciously. "It took days to find her. Those damn stubborn people did not want to tell me anything. When I found her she was standing in her parents' backyard garden holding a three month old baby girl. She was holding you." He paused, gauging his daughter's expression to see if he should go on. She seemed curious and ready to handle more information so he continued. "It was love at first sight. I loved you even before I held you," he said, tears stinging his eyes from the memory.

Aine spastically swallowed several times to dislodge the suffocating lump in her throat and to dispel the threatening tears. She wanted to know what happened. Her mother and grandparents had refused to tell her anything while she was growing up. She reached across the table to hold her father's hand to encourage him to go on. A small smile from her was the reassurance he needed to proceed.

"Oh, and when I took you into my arms that was it," he stated in a reflective tone full of emotion that brought tears to her eyes once again. "I loved you and knew I wanted my family. I begged your mother to marry me, to come back with me. I had to leave but I didn't stop pleading with her to marry me and let's be a family. You know how stubborn she can be. It took months but she finally accepted my proposal and came here to live with me."

Aine stared at him for a long moment attempting to find her voice. There was a question she had to ask, although she was already sure of the answer. "Daddy, are you telling me that Mom never wanted to marry you? That you had to beg and emotionally blackmail her into it?"

Kisuke shifted uncomfortably and avoided looking his sweet daughter in the eyes when he answered. "Yes, baby, that's exactly the way it was." He gulped loudly then rushed on to say, "But she was happy with me for a while. She tried. She really tried to be happy with me, Aine. Just let me tell you everything, sweetheart."

Aine sat in silence and listened to the rest of the story which seemed relatively typical of these situations. He was still attending university and she could not work because of their young daughter so he had to work at night to make money to give them the pitiful, meager existence they had. Despite the lack of money and stress of responsibilities such as passing classes and parenthood, they were really happy together. Yes, they argued a lot mostly because her mother was obstinate, short-tempered, and loud and seemed to enjoy it. But he loved her and his daughter with all his heart. Big trouble came when success showed up. Success did not come easy either keeping him for long hours in a lab which unfortunately did have a tendency to be filled with pretty young women who did not bitch and complain nearly as much as his wife did. So yes, he admitted to having numerous affairs. No, soothing his wounded heart with his selfish actions and breaking her mother's did not make it okay and it damn sure did not make him feel better.

Aine was in tears when he finally quit talking. She held one hand against her belly while the other covered her mouth to hold back loud sobs that where stifled into whimpers instead. She stood up on unsteady legs hoping she could get to the door without falling.

"Daddy, I want to go home," she sobbed, covering her mouth again and walking swiftly to the door while ignoring the inquisitive glances of fellow patrons.

Aine leaned against the vehicle and began to unleash the weeping she had been holding back. Was she doomed to repeat her parent's mistakes? She had already made up her mind not to tell Izuru. She did not want him to forfeit his once in a lifetime opportunity. She also had absolutely no intention of marrying him. Giving up on her restaurant was not an option because she had already come too far. The building was completed and they would be moving in all of the furniture and appliances next week. All of the decorative finishing touches would be completed the week after that. In two months she would be open for business. By then she would be nearly four months pregnant. She could not stop crying. Feeling her father's hand on her shaking shoulder, she turned into him and clung to him like a frightened child.

Kisuke allowed the tears to flow freely down his cheeks while he stroked her long dark auburn hair in an attempt to comfort her. How could any good, any happiness, possibly come out of this? Sorrow seemed to be a specter that haunted their lives and would not leave them alone no matter how hard they tried to run from it. The worst part was that it was all self-induced from their bad decisions. They seemed like good things at the time then…

"Oh, baby," he murmured, hugging her tightly. "You have to tell him."

"But Daddy, I – " she started to protest but he raised his hand.

"Did you not get anything from what I just told you? You have to tell him." He embraced her fiercely then held her back to look at her. "What the both of you decide to do after that, I cannot say and would not dare to offer any advice, but he has the right to know. It's his baby too."

* * *

Aine sat in front of her computer Monday morning staring at the screen. She should be getting ready to go to her building to help set up but instead she was staring a blank email scared to death and experiencing the paralysis of analysis. It had been a week since her last contact with Izuru. His email had been brief and shallow talking about the weather in the city he was living in and how things were going with his internship. No mention of their relationship or feelings. Not an even an I love you typed onto the bottom of the email. So it's happened. It's over. She still didn't want to tell him about the baby, but she knew it was the right thing to do.

_I'm pregnant. Don't come back. Don't ruin your once in a lifetime chance. I don't expect anything from you. I'm happy building my own life, and I can handle this on my own. I have Dad, and he will help me all he can. I'm keeping the baby because it is part of me, part of my heart and what we shared. I'll never regret that. Good-bye. I wish you nothing but happiness._

Aine reread the short message with her the cursor hovering above the send button. Closing her eyes she clicked and sent it on its way. Getting up from her desk, she dressed quickly in jeans and a button down shirt and was on her way.

* * *

"Here. Let me," Ichigo said, rushing to grab the box of wine glasses from her.

Aine listened apprehensively as he took the box from her. It rattled way too much. She opened to lid to see all but one was shattered to pieces. Dammit. This was the third box of broken glasses she had found. Broken. Shattered. Just like her heart and her life right now. Tears stung her eyes and slid down her cheeks.

"Aine," Ichigo murmured, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I'll take this back to the supplier myself."

"I'm sorry," she apologized, swiping angrily at the tears. "It's the third box I've found today. I better go through all of them to see how many more are like this."

"I'll take care of it. Why don't you sit down for a minute?" He pulled out his pocketknife and began slitting open the lids of the boxes to check them. He eyed her warily when her breath hitched and a sob broke from her lips. This was not like her at all. She had been acting strangely for weeks. Quiet, always deep in thought, never flirting with him; he knew something was up besides the stress of the whole restaurant issue. "Do you need someone to talk to? I'm a good listener."

"There's nothing to talk about," she muttered, taking an uneven sigh. "I've just managed to ruin the life of an innocent child because I'm an idiot." She was rethinking keeping the baby. Maybe she should just give it up for adoption, but how? It was part of her. When she heard the heart beat at her twelve week checkup, she already loved it. It became real to her. She could no longer ignore the reality that she was pregnant.

"You're pregnant?" he asked, kneeling down in front of her. He figured it was kneel or fall from the shocking news. His brown eyes studied her vacant green ones. She was off in deep thought again, lost somewhere on a parallel plane of existence. Now, he understood why she was acting so oddly. Taking a chance and not really caring if he got slapped, he pressed his hand against her ever so slightly rounded belly.

"What are you doing?" she inquired patiently, turning her eyes to meet his. She felt her abdominal muscles clench from his hand being on her in such an intimate way. "I haven't felt the baby move yet. It's too soon."

"I guessed that. I just…" he allowed the words to trail off. He began to say I just wanted to touch you but decided against it. For once he didn't want to sound like a shameless pervert. "Do you like me?"

"What?" she asked incredulously, leaning back from him because his lips were too close to hers.

'How old am I? Damn, why didn't I just hand her a check yes or no note? Now she thinks I'm stupid and crazy,' he thought to himself, looking into her eyes.

"Ichigo, I think you're a really nice man. You're sweet when you refrain from being a jerk," she responded, running her fingers through his hair.

"Uh, thanks?" He was unsure if it was a compliment or more of her trademark sarcasm. Judging by her tender expression, he guessed it was a sincere accolade.

"I don't want another boyfriend and I certainly don't want a husband so please just…just don't. Okay?" She dropped her hand because she realized she was petting him like a cute little puppy which his big brown pleading eyes only added to the whole puppy thing. She could not help herself. Her hand lay over his that was still pressed against her belly. He really was a good man.

"So how about a friend? I can take you to doctor's appointments. I can put together baby furniture. Don't you need someone to go to birthing classes and be there with you when you have the baby? Can you really picture your Dad being that person?" he asked, quirking an orange eyebrow as he looked her face that had a shocked expression on it.

"I had not thought that far ahead yet, but you're right. Are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to, you know," she said, looking into his eyes.

"I know. But I like you. I would like to think we were already friends since we've been working so closely together the last few months." It felt as if a million butterflies had taken flight in his belly. He felt fluttery and jittery, and if it was not so damn effeminate he would faint.

"Well, yeah. I guess we are friends. Definitely flirty friends," she giggled lightly, a small smile remaining on her lips. "Does every client get this kind of treatment? Do you always take such and interest all the clients?" Her hand touched his cheek and he blushed.

No. Not all clients got this kind of treatment. None of them had actually. As a matter of fact, his dealings with _any _client had never before gone beyond plain business interactions at the office. Definitely no flirting and innuendos like he had engaged in with her. But he had never fallen in love with any of the clients before her either.

* * *

Aine checked her email as soon as she got home. She needed a shower, but it could wait. There was a reply waiting to her email. Gathering every ounce of courage she could muster, she clicked on it.

"REALLY? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?" she screamed, staring at the one word reply.

_Okay. _She was beginning to hate that one damn word.

"Wh-what is it?" her father stammered, running into the room. His blond hair was standing on end making him look like a younger, more handsome Albert Einstein.

"Dad, what the hell were you doing?" she asked, snorting in her attempt to stifle her laughter.

"I was rewiring some of Rover's circuits. I touched something I shouldn't have," he explained, grinning sheepishly at her.

"Oh, Daddy…"

This poor child. Having a mad scientist grandfather and an emotionally handicapped mother to raise him or her. At least it will be a child who is loved very much. What does it matter if he or she is not brought up in a traditional home? She wasn't and she turned out just fine. Or she thought so anyway.


	8. Expect the Unexpected When Expecting

Expect the Unexpected When Expecting

Aine went to her sixteen week checkup the day before the restaurant opening. Her doctor was a little worried about her blood pressure being higher than normal but attributed it to the grand opening being so close. She really liked her doctor because she is so kind and gentle. Dr. Kotetsu was very unusual and even shocking the first time she had seen her. The woman is taller than Ichigo with bizarre short, shaggy silver hair and slate gray eyes. However, she is caring and soft spoken and is genuinely concerned about her patients.

Ichigo watched intently as the doctor prodded Aine's belly with a special stethoscope to find the baby's heartbeat. An odd sound like a rhythmic pulse from an alien movie or something filled the room after the doctor had switched on the speaker so they could hear it. The expression on his face was priceless. Aine was unsure if he was going to cry or break his face with the huge smile that appeared. He might even do both.

"Oh, honey, the baby," he murmured, grasping her hand so tightly it hurt.

Aine did not have the nerve to ask him to stop as he listened with rapt attention to the sound of the fast paced heartbeat filling the room. Her breath caught in her throat when she felt his other hand softly stroking her belly. She continued to watch his face as it softened into an expression of parental happiness and contentment. Oh, my god. It was time for Izuru to answer some hard questions. A simple okay would not do for this.

* * *

Aine made an international phone call despite the steep cost. She wanted to hear his voice and get the answers straight from him to her questions. Impatiently waiting for him to answer the phone, she paced the kitchen nervously. Ichigo was watching her from one of the invisible chairs at the counter. Her dad was working in his lab pretending not to be listening through Rover's intercom.

"Aine?" Izuru greeted her with confusion.

"Hello to you too," she snapped without meaning to sound so severe. Her eyes skimmed over Ichigo who warned her with a hand gesture to back the anger down a notch.

"So how are you?" he inquired obviously nervous.

"I'm good. The baby is good. I had a checkup today and everything is fine. I'll keep you posted as things go along," she informed him, talking slowly and making sure she smiled while talking to keep her voice light and gentle.

"I wish I could be there," he responded but it sounded hollow and insincere.

"Do you?" she snapped, shrugging at Ichigo when gave her a mean look.

"Who's that on the phone?" a male voice asked in the background on Izuru's side.

"Uh…it's a friend from Japan," Izuru answered him but it was muffled as if he held his hand over the phone.

"What the hell?" Aine muttered, trying to listen to their conversation. It was too garbled for her to make out any of the words.

"I'm on an international call, we'll talk later," she heard him bark at the other man.

Being in the States had made a not so pleasant personality change in him apparently. She had never heard him speak so harshly to anyone. Now it was her turn to be nosey.

"Who was that?" she asked with unabashed curiosity and a little contempt. There was something very important he was not telling her, and she had the feeling the man attached that voice had something to do with it.

"My, uh, my, hm…he's the doctor I'm working with for my internship," he said, the anxiety growing in his voice.

Aine felt sick. She had a vague idea of what was going on but did not want to admit it to herself. She walked around the counter and leaned against Ichigo who put his arm around her.

"Are you all right?" he asked, his mouth right near the phone.

"Who's _that_?" Izuru yelled into the phone.

"I'm asking the damn questions here, pal. So here's my next one, are you sure your internship is all you're working toward with him? It seems like you have a new relationship with _someone_ over there. It would explain a lot about why you were so hesitant to have sex with me. So why was that exactly? Are you bisexual? Gay? Confused? I'm confused. Ow!" she howled in pain when Ichigo pinched her side.

"I-I d-don't kn-know," he stuttered.

"Oh, holy hell, Izuru! Dammit!" she yelled, feeling like a psychological experiment of sorts now that she knew he was still trying to figure out his sexuality. "Look, I need to go. My restaurant opening is tomorrow. I will keep sending emails about the baby."

"Thank you. Good luck. Aine, I'm sorry," he apologized.

"For what?" she asked very curious as to why he felt the need to apologize.

"Everything."

"Good-bye, Izuru."

"Good-bye, Aine."

Aine turned so she would not be screaming in Ichigo's face when she unleashed the terrifying shriek from the unwelcome revelation. She felt his body jump and stiffen but he held her tightly as she screamed curses in Gaelic.

"Oh, damn, what now?" Kisuke inquired, walking into the kitchen while his daughter was still ranting and raving in the ancient Irish dialect.

"She just found out the father of the baby is gay," Ichigo answered nonchalantly, shutting his eyes as if to block out the ear splitting noise coming from her. He stared at her father quizzically when he began laughing and slapped his hand over his mouth before his daughter heard. Her father was so strange, but he liked the man.

"Oh, baby, calm down," her father said, coming around to hug her from the front. He rubbed her belly reminding her she needed to get calmed down for the baby. Her new, whatever: boyfriend, birthing partner, tagalong – he wasn't sure what the boy was to her – held her firmly with an arm around her waist above her belly. He didn't think they were sure yet either. "Aine, can I talk to your uh…"

"Ichigo?" she responded.

Dammit. That didn't help clarify a thing. "Yeah him. Go take a walk and howl at the moon," he suggested.

They both watched her as she walked away muttering to herself like one of the ladies who push shopping carts full of aluminum cans down the street. When she was out the door, Kisuke stared at the orange haired man in front of him. It was his turn to ask some questions. "What are your intentions toward my daughter?"

"I'd like to marry her," he answered bluntly not intimidated by the steady, slightly threatening fatherly gaze.

"Have you mentioned this to her?"

"Yes."

"What was her answer?"

"Hell no."

"Dammit! She's stubborn just like her mother!" Kisuke bellowed, surprising the other man. "All I can tell you is hang in there, boy, and don't push her. Have patience with her. Most of all, love her despite herself."

* * *

Aine was standing at the hostess station glancing between her watch and the crowd gathering outside. She felt like fainting. If it wouldn't cause everyone to freak out, she would give in to the dizziness. She wore a plain black dress that gathered above her burgeoning belly with an ornate silver decoration and flowed out over it to somewhat disguise her pregnant state. Not that she was trying to hide it, she just did not want that to be a focal point tonight. She offered Ichigo a nervous smile when he came to stand beside her. She still could not believe he had quit his job at the architect firm to work for her as manager of the restaurant. His reason was that she would need a good manager especially when she went on maternity leave. Who could do a better job than someone who had been there since there very beginning? If he could keep that bubble headed Orihime managed, he could certainly handle a restaurant. She had full faith in him and capabilities.

"You'll be great," Ichigo whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek. "Everything will turn out perfect. Just calm down. Your blood pressure remember?"

Oh, yes. That's probably why she was feeling dizzy. Aine turned to him, giving him a strong embrace.

"Thank you," she said, looking into his warm brown eyes. "For being here for me. For everything."

"There's no place I'd rather be," he rejoined, gazing into her lovely green eyes. He resisted the urge to kiss her lips instead settling for her other cheek and hugging her. "For good luck."

Aine took a deep breath and walked toward the door with gold key in her hand. Time to open up. Tonight would be the beginning of the something that would change the rest of her life.

* * *

Aine held Ichigo's hand as the doctor squirted the warm gel on her belly for the ultrasound. Today was the beginning of her twentieth week and the midpoint of her pregnancy. The restaurant had officially been open for a month now and was a stunning success thanks in no small part to her very proficient manager. She was more amazed everyday at what a wonderful man he was and how he helped her so much. Gone were the days of hints and allegations and inappropriate advances. The closest he came to sexual intimacy was the occasional belly rub he would give her especially when trying to feel the baby move. He also gave her pecks on the cheek but nothing more.

Aine believed he was looking forward to this as much as she was. She patted his hand as he held hers tightly while they watched her doctor.

"Are you ready, Mama?" Dr. Kotetsu asked with obvious excitement in her voice. After Aine nodded, she pressed the transducer to her belly and said, "Okay. Let's see your baby."

"Oh, Aine," Ichigo gasped when the image appeared on the screen. The ghostly image of a perfectly formed human being moved on the screen before them. The baby appeared to be waving at them.

"Hi, Mama," the doctor giggled, pushing down hard to make the baby kick around.

Aine grunted because it also made her need to go to the bathroom. She had to have a full bladder for this thing which seemed to be a cruel joke since she was getting prodded. "What is it, Dr. Kotetsu? A boy or a girl?"

"I believe it's a little girl. Let me poke around a little," she said pensively. She literally meant poke around too because she began jabbing Aine's rounded belly with the transducer and her hand. Finally the baby rolled and opened its legs so the doctor could see. "Yep. It's a girl!"

"How do you know?" Ichigo inquired, squinting at the screen in an attempt to see what the doctor was seeing.

"It's not what I'm seeing, Mr. Kurosaki. It's what I'm NOT seeing," she explained.

"Oh, right," he responded, kissing the back of Aine's hand.

The doctor watched the two of them as they held hands and stared transfixed at the screen by what they saw. She knew their relationship because the couple had explained it on their first visit together at her sixteen week check-up. She thought they were adorable together and hoped one day they would have a real relationship. Preferably before the baby is born. She shook her head, reminding herself that it was none of her business.

"Hey, Doc. Are you recording this?" Aine inquired as she stared at the screen.

"Yes, I am. Why?" Dr. Kotetsu was interested in knowing what she intended on doing with it.

"I want to send the baby's father a copy. He should see this," she said, staring at the screen. She turned to Ichigo smiling at him. "Would you like to help me pick out a name for her?"

Ichigo was glad he was sitting down when she asked him that. "I'd be honored. What about the father? Shouldn't he help name the baby?"

"I'll give him the option. He can decide whether he wants to help or not," she replied off handedly staring at her baby on the screen. In her mind, it was her daughter and her daughter alone. She was definitely just like her mother.

* * *

Two days later Aine received a reply to her email that had included the ultrasound video. She had downloaded it to her computer and sent it as an attached file to an email so he could see it a whole lot faster than if she had sent it by regular mail. This time she definitely got more than a one word reply.

_Thank you for sending me that. It was very special getting to see our daughter. Thank you for not shutting me out of your life and hers. I'm sorry things can't be different. I want to be there with you so badly. I still love you. Nothing has changed that. I do want to be in my daughter's life. Please don't keep her away from me. _

Aine cried as she stared at the screen. She wondered what he would decide in the end about everything. She turned around to look at Ichigo lying in her bed fast asleep. He had come by to talk with her for a few minutes after work. He fell asleep in midsentence and she did not have the heart to wake him. He was working so hard at the restaurant; sending her home early most nights to finish things up himself. Tomorrow he would surely be the first one to arrive at work – he always was.

Aine took a blanket out of her closet to cover him up since he was lying on top of her comforter. She got in under the sheets to lie next to him. Her eyes studied his face carefully while she lay next to him.

"Shall I turn off the lights, Miss?" Rover inquired.

"No. Just dim them, please," she requested never moving her eyes from his handsome face.

"As you wish," he responded while lowering the light level to a soft glow.

Aine cuddle up next to him, pressing her cheek to his chest over his heart. She had read that babies were comforted by the sound of a heartbeat after hearing their mother's for so long. As if on cue, her daughter began kicking around inside of her. Although he was asleep, she took Ichigo's hand and pressed it against her belly.

"Do you feel her?" she whispered.

"Suki," he murmured.

"What? I don't want to name her that," Aine said gently. She was unsure if he was awake or asleep at this point.

"No, I was calling you that. It means beloved. You're my Suki," he mumbled sleepily, putting his arm around her.

"Rover, turn off the lights," she ordered.

"Yes, Miss," he answered and the room went black.

Aine closed her eyes, keeping her ear pressed against Ichigo's chest while he held her. With a smile of contentment on her face, she fell asleep in his arms.


	9. Surprise, Surprise

Surprise, Surprise

Ichigo woke up alone but found her downstairs cooking breakfast. He stopped at the edge of the kitchen to observe her. She was wearing a pair of pink boxer short pajama bottoms and a white t shirt with an untied pink silk robe over that. Her nice round belly poked out between the top and bottom. She was wearing pink fuzzy bunny slippers and had her hair pulled up on top of her head in a long ponytail. She looked like a pregnant genie on her day off. He covered his mouth to stifle a laugh when she began to sing and wiggle around the kitchen. When she turned he could see the earphones with rhinestones on them in her ears. She had become the ultimate girly girl since finding out she was having a baby girl wearing pink virtually all the time now. He sighed deeply wanting to tell her he much he loved her. However, he did not want to get shoved out the door and/or fired from his job. He wanted to here with her and the baby. She had told him she did not want him for anything more than a friend so he knew what he was getting into from the beginning.

Aine spun around and saw him standing at the corner peeking around to watch her. She shimmied her way over to him and grabbed his hands to dance with her. She sang to him in a voice that really was not half bad while she danced with him around the kitchen.

Ichigo laughed at her while holding her tightly. He leaned forward and was about to kiss her on the lips when she shrieked and raced toward the stove. Foiled by the burning breakfast, dammit!

"It's a little extra done but edible, "she said referring to the bacon.

"So you saved your bacon?" he inquired, wondering if she caught the pun.

"Yes! And speaking of saving bacon," she murmured, sidling up to him. She put her arms around his neck and pressed a brief kiss to his lips. "Thank you."

"For what?" he asked, putting his arms around her waist.

"Everything. Thank you for being here with me. Thank you for helping me with my dream. Thank you for…" Her words trailed off as her green eyes gazed deeply into his brown ones. "Thank you for loving me."

Ichigo touched her face watching the tears gather in her eyes. "It's really easy. I fell in love with you a long time ago. I realized I truly loved you when I found out you were pregnant with another man's baby and I wanted to be with you anyway. I want you, and I want her," he stated in a hoarse voice full of strong emotion. He placed on of his hands on her belly when he felt the baby kicking where her body pressed against his. "I don't mind being an instant family. I just want to love you both forever."

"Oh, my god, Ichigo," she gasped, holding his intense stare. "Are you…are you asking me to marry you?"

Ichigo gulped audibly. He kissed her briefly to help build up his courage. "Yes, Suki, I'm asking you to marry me. Will you be my wife and give me a daughter and make me the happiest man on the planet?"

"Yes! Yes, she will!" Kisuke yelled over the intercom.

"Daddy!" she yelled back, smiling broadly at the trembling man in her arms. Is she really that scary? "Yes, I will marry you. I would love to become Mrs. Kurosaki."

"Congratulate me, Rover. I'm having a granddaughter and a son-in-law," Kisuke informed the computer, flipping off the camera in the kitchen as the couple kissed to celebrate their engagement.

"Congratulations, sir," the computer replied dutifully.

"I can't wait for you to meet my family. You're going to love them!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Family?"

* * *

"Suki, sit down! You're making the chefs nervous. They've got it handled," Ichigo assured her after her fourth trip in ten minutes to consult with the chefs as they prepared the meal for his family. He had invited them to restaurant not only to keep her from worrying herself over preparing a meal but also so they could see part of the dream that the two of them were building together. The other part of that dream was building a family of their own.

Aine ran back over her mental notes about his family. She already knew his mother was dead from the first time they met. He had a father, Isshin, and two sisters, Yuzu and Karin. His father was a doctor and his twin sisters were attending the university: Yuzu to become a nurse and Karin to be a doctor in sports medicine specifically.

A loud knock sounded on the glass front doors and Ichigo went to unlock them and allow his family entrance. Aine quickly straightened her light pink dress with a wide pleated skirt made of a filmy material that draped across her six month pregnant belly to accent it nicely. No more hiding it. She suddenly felt very self-conscious about the strapless top, but shrugged it off as a byproduct of nervousness. She pulled her deep auburn curls around her bare shoulders to cover them up.

"Ichigo! You've done very well for yourself. So you run this place? And it belongs to your fiancée? Is that her?" his father asked, smiling at her.

Wow! Aine could see where got his looks from. His father was the same height and build as him with spiky black hair and dark brown eyes. It was a good thing he was so handsome so it would detract from the awful yellow and red Hawaiian shirt her wore along with khaki pants. He looked like a tourist on vacation in Honolulu complete with scruffy facial hair. Two pretty girls followed him: the girl with light brown hair and dark brown eyes was Yuzu and the dark haired one with dark grey eyes was Karin. Both were dressed casually in jeans and sweaters.

Aine squealed with surprise when she was suddenly swept off her feet into a pair of strong arms and swung around. She blinked in surprise when Isshin Kurosaki gave her an enthusiastic kiss right on the lips.

"Oh, I see where your son gets it," Aine murmured feeling decidedly warm all over from her father-in-law to be's extraordinarily affectionate greeting.

"Want another one? Can't be too friendly with the in laws," he said, leaning forward to kiss her again.

"DAD!" the three siblings exclaimed in unison before their lips touched. This was disturbing in so many ways.

"Well, hello, you pretty little thing!" he exclaimed hugging her again instead. He put her down and grabbed his son in a headlock giving him what looked like a painful knuckle rub to the head. "You did good boy, you did good. I'm proud of you son. You got a winner all the way around."

Ichigo introduced her to his sisters who greeted her with a much more subdued reaction. Yuzu hugged her and Karin shook her hand. These two really were different as night and day despite being twins. Kisuke stepped up for his introduction yelling in surprise when the big bear of man grabbed him for a hug.

"For the love of god just don't kiss me!" Kisuke yelled.

"But you've got a pretty mouth!" Isshin hollered back.

Oh, yeah. The father-in-laws were going to be awesome together. If they ever had to leave those two alone for any reason, a babysitter would be required.

"Those two aren't planning your bachelor party are they?" Aine inquired as they watched the two men bond like two frat buddies.

"I'm not having one because I'm afraid of what those two might do," Ichigo replied, watching in disbelief as they chugged a beer to see who finishes first. "Oh, my god. What a nightmare."

"I've never seen anything like it. My father has met someone as ridiculous and eccentric as him. I'm terrified," she admitted, watching them down shots.

"Me too. Although at this rate, they'll drink themselves under the table before the main course arrives," he pointed out.

"I'm embarrassed. Can't you stop them? You used to beat dad's ass all the time," Karin said to Ichigo joining them in their observation of the two men.

"Oh, please no!" Yuzu begged in her soft voice. "I always hated it when they fought."

"Dad's an idiot! He deserved it. Hell, he deserves it now," Karin muttered in disgust.

"Ah, here come the appetizers," Aine announced, herding the girls to the table. "Shall we take a seat?"

The two bozos over by the bar ignored her. She called again, her sweet voice wavering as they laughed loudly and continued to ignore her. "Hey! Assholes! Get to the table! NOW!" she bellowed, glaring at the two men who gaped at her with huge round eyes. She smiled and added a sweet little "please" to her less than polite request.

"Oh ho ho, Ichigo!" Karin laughed with obvious delight. "I like your fiancée already."

They settled into a comfortable conversation about the restaurant as everyone dug into the appetizers of crabmeat stuffed mushrooms and fried shrimp. Food seemed to sooth the savage beasts or maybe it was the alcohol that mellowed their fathers out but the two calmed down and relaxed enough to act like normal human beings through the rest of the meal. Salads, steaks and baked potatoes, and a black forest chocolate cake was the complete menu for the evening. The family was won over by Ichigo's charming fiancée and her superb restaurant. Ichigo had already explained to them about the baby so no humiliating faux pas would be made during the evening.

"What were your ideas for the wedding?" Yuzu asked over coffee.

"I was thinking something simple in my father's backyard. Family and a few friends. Just an intimate gathering of the people who mean the most to us," Aine said, sipping her water. She had become a teetotaler from alcohol and caffeine.

"When?" Karin inquired.

"Next month," Ichigo answered, ignoring the double take from his fiancée. They had not yet discussed a date. She was being evasive on purpose, and he knew it.

"I'll help!" Yuzu offered.

"Me too," volunteered her twin sister.

"We can help too!" the fathers said in unison.

"NO!" the other four yelled back.

"Ichigo, you babysit the Dads. We plan the wedding," Karin stated in her characteristic no nonsense way.

"Awwww! Do I have to?"

"YES!"

* * *

"Your blood pressure is up again. What's going on this time?" Dr. Kotetsu inquired at Aine's seven month checkup.

"We're getting married tomorrow," the couple replied in unison.

"Really? Congratulations!" she exclaimed, hugging her glowing patient. No wonder Aine looked so happy and just plain thrilled to be alive. She was genuinely ecstatic for them and had been hoping for this.

"How is she, Doc?" Ichigo inquired, holding Aine's hand like he always did during the visits.

"Both of your girls are doing great. Just make sure Mama here rests properly and stays off her feet a little more with the blood pressure issue," Dr. Kotetsu advised watching him scowl deeply as he looked at his fiancée. "Easier said than done huh?"

"Without a doubt," he replied, kissing the stubborn redhead on the cheek. He loved her so much and did not want anything to happen to her or the baby. He nagged her all the time to rest more, sometimes literally lugging her out of the restaurant in his arms and putting her in a taxi to send her home. A smile tilted his lips when he thought about the few times he had to call her father to come pick her up. Those were fun nights. She could be hard headed, foul mouthed, and just plain exasperating but he loved her despite herself – just like her father had told him.

* * *

As soon as they returned to the house, Aine prepared an email with the latest baby news to send to Izuru. Her and Ichigo had picked out a name for the baby: Keegan Aiko meaning descendent of the fiery one and little loved one. They viewed both names as a very clever description of the baby. She added one final bit of news at the end of the email advising him of the wedding. She had just settled into the bed for a nap before the big family dinner tonight when she heard the computer chirp to alert her of a reply.

"So soon?" she asked herself. This was definitely a first; replies usually took him anywhere from three days to a week. She forced herself back out of the bed because her curiosity refused to wait.

_I've been granted a special permission to return home temporarily. I will be arriving tomorrow at seven in the morning._

The one time he moves fast on something it has to be this. How typical. It felt as if the baby were doing somersaults in her belly, and she felt a little sick from the sudden shock of the revelation that Izuru would be arriving in about sixteen hours. It reminded her of the damned gut wrenching revelation of his departure.

"Rover, where's Ichigo?" she asked the computer, feeling her stomach tighten in a way that made her very nervous.

"Young master is in the lab with your father," he obediently answered.

Aine rolled her eyes at the reference her father had programmed the computer to use for Ichigo. She stood up to go to the lab. The door slid open for her to walk out, and there stood Ichigo. She screamed in surprise from his unexpected arrival at her door.

"Oh, Suki, I'm sorry," he apologized grabbing her as she stood gasping and clutching her heart.

"Please, don't do that again!" she yelled, putting her arms around his neck as he held her close. "Do you want to scare this baby out of me?"

"Not yet," he replied, laughing lightly. "It's too soon. What's wrong?"

"Well, someone else almost beat you to it anyway. Guess who's coming to the wedding?"

"Oh, damn."


	10. The Unwelcome Guest

"To be happy with a man you must understand him a lot and love him a little. To be happy with a woman you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all." ~ Helen Rowland

The Unwelcome Guest

"DADDY!" Aine wailed, her voice echoing all through the house. "Where in the hell is that florist? These flowers are all wrong! Somebody fix this now! ICHIGO! Where in the hell are those two men?"

Kisuke and Ichigo were hiding. Aine had been on the warpath and screaming like a harpy all morning long. She was stressed and exasperated from the wedding preparations to begin with because she wanted everything perfect. The revelation of Izuru's arrival just in time for the wedding pushed her over into absolutely insane.

The door to Kisuke's office suddenly slid open with such force it vibrated the wall. The two men jumped, hugging each other for protection and safety. She found them. She was also standing there with a ten inch butcher knife she had used to pry open the door. That was her idea of a computer override today.

"There you are!" she howled, stalking toward them. "Daddy! I need you to take care of the florist. Ichigo! Please go the restaurant and check on everyone. They're running behind schedule. No one is here setting up!"

Aine sat down on the floor and began to cry. Her anger had finally gotten to be too much even for her so the tears came to relieve the almost crushing stress and anxiety.

Kisuke grabbed Ichigo and shoved him toward the wailing mess of a woman on the floor as he bolted for the door. He was not in the least ashamed to admit he sacrificed his son-in-law-to-be for his own safety. He was free and he would rather deal with the drama queen florist named Hans who was sure to be pissed that his floral arrangements were wrong.

"Oh, Suki, come on," Ichigo murmured, kneeling down beside her to take the sobbing woman into his arms. "Please stop crying. You don't want your face to be all swollen and red for the wedding, do you?"

Ichigo swiftly learned that was the wrong thing to say to any woman especially an irate, hormonal, pregnant bride. _Smack!_ His cheek throbbed from where her hand had delivered a punishing blow. Okay. He would be the first to confess he deserved that for not thinking how insulting his advice really sounded. It was his turn to make the great escape from the temperamental dragon lady. "All right, Suki. I'll get to the restaurant. Where's Yuzu and Karin?"

"They are getting my dress ready. I'm about to get my shower," she said, allowing him to help her to her feet.

"You take a nice relaxing shower and leave everything to us. We'll get it taken care of. Hey," he murmured, holding her face between his hands. "The thing that will make this day perfect is when I marry you."

Aine received his kiss, sighing deeply. His kiss soothed her and made her feel warm and happy. She gave him a big smile staring at his broad shoulders as he walked away. Her eyes roamed lower and lost their view as he turned the corner right before she got a good look at his nicely shaped rump. She had withheld from grabbing that yet, but she wanted to get her hands on him in a very sexual way. Regrettably, it would be another three and a half months before she could. She had two months left in her pregnancy then the six weeks afterward for recovery. It had been nice to experience an old fashioned romance. She felt the baby kick her ribs and was reminded it was _almost_ an old fashioned romance.

"Aine! Time to get ready!" Karin yelled from upstairs.

Aine took a long, steadying breath and was about to run upstairs when the doorbell rang. Rover had been shut down today because there would be so many strangers roaming in and out of the house in preparation for the wedding and the reception. Therefore, she was unaware of the surprise that awaited her behind the door. She opened the door to see a huge bouquet held by someone who she thought was one of the florist's assistants. It was a bouquet of tiny baby roses in the palest shade of pink and white mixed in with pink and white carnations and copious amounts of greenery.

"No. That one is wrong too," she barked turning to run up the stairs.

"I'm sorry you don't like it. I brought just for you and Keegan," a familiar voice said making her freeze in mid-step on the stairs.

"Izuru?" she muttered, turning around to see the father of her child standing there since he had lowered the bouquet to reveal his face. She ran back down and took the bouquet from him. "Come in."

Aine hurried to the kitchen to set the flowers down on the counter. She turned quickly oblivious that he was right behind her. A loud grunt escaped her when she ran into him full force. Unfortunately her belly bore the biggest part of the hit but she was sure Keegan was just fine because she was well protected. She patiently allowed him to feel all over her burgeoning baby belly. It was impossible to keep from smiling at the expression of joy and wonderment on his face when he felt his child moving under his hands.

"My baby," he mumbled, gazing into her eyes.

"Our baby," she corrected. "Keegan Aiko to reflect both of her heritages. I never want this child to forget that she was a much wanted child. Just because she was a surprise does not mean I never wanted her."

"What are you saying?" he asked, dropping his hands from her tummy.

"Nothing," she replied, noticing the man standing behind him for the first time. He was extremely tall and thin with short silver hair and a face that reminded her of a fox. What the hell was wrong with his eyes?

"Oh, Aine, this is my professor and uh...ah, this is Dr. Gin Ichimaru," Izuru stated in a flabbergasted manner as if he had just remembered the man was there.

'Oh, so this is the boyfriend. How nice,' she thought to herself forcing a grin on her face. Ichimaru? "Are you the Japanese psychologist who conducted the study of the brain functionality in serial killers to see if there's a true chemical imbalance that causes the murderous impulse and if so how to switch it off?"

Aine ignored the gaping Izuru. Asshole. Did he think she was stupid? No, just a bad judge of character.

"Yes, that's me," he responded, grasping her hand a little tighter as she shook it. "Izuru, you never told me she was beautiful _and_ smart?"

'Izuru went to America from Japan to be with a Japanese psychologist? Mother fu-' Aine's thought was broken into when the man brought her hand to his lips to press a kiss to the back of it. Oh, a true gentleman. Her eyes moved to Izuru who was blushing a deep red color. She was unsure if it was from jealousy or embarrassment. Either way, she really didn't care. She stepped forward to the tall man putting her arms around him for a firm embrace that he enthusiastically returned. After sliding the blushing blond another glance, she confirmed it was definitely jealousy. Damn him.

"So do you two have plans for the future yet?" she inquired boldly, keeping her hand on the arm of his lover. Sometimes the situation required a woman to be audacious and bitchy and this was one of those times.

"Uh…um, well…ah," the good doctor seemed at a loss for words and his blond boyfriend was utterly mortified that he did not have an answer.

This was going to be fun. Aine threaded her arm through the silver beanstalk's arm and began leading him through the house for a tour. "Dr. Ichimaru –"

"Oh, please, dear. I'd be honored if you would call me Gin," he rejoined, patting her hand that was on his arm then leaving it there to rest comfortably.

"Are you coming?" she inquired, turning back to give Izuru a naughty grin. He glared at her through narrowed eyes and refused to move. She shrugged and threw him a cold, malicious smirk. "Suit yourself, sweet thing."

"Now, dear. Tell me about this fascinating house. I know your father is Kisuke Urahara," he said with obvious interest in his voice.

* * *

"Can I help you?" Ichigo inquired of the blond man standing alone in the kitchen who looked ready to kill someone.

"Who the hell are you?" Izuru demanded, watching the orange haired man's face take on a pink color as his brown eyes suddenly narrowed murderously. Uh oh…

"I belong here! I'm the groom," he replied, putting his fists on his hips as he glared at the intrusive visitor. The unknown guest acted as if he had been here before. The man was a stranger to _him_ anyway.

"Well, I'm the father of the baby," he shot back just as spitefully.

"Oh, so you're the one," Ichigo said, grabbing the man by the collar.

* * *

"What the hell is that?" Aine muttered, hearing yelling and lots of crashing coming from the kitchen while they stood on the deck overlooking the backyard.

More loud and irate voices were added to the fracas as she ran back toward the kitchen to see what was going on. Ichigo was being held back by his father and Izuru was in a headlock from her father. Both men had blood on their faces, shirts, and fists. All of them were yelling and hurling insults. The people that were supposed to be working on all of the wedding preparations had stopped and gathered on the deck at the floor to ceiling glass windows for an unimpeded view of the fight.

"Oh, dear," Gin mumbled, attempting to hang on to her when she took her arm from his.

Aine snatched her arm out of his grip and stomped toward the hollering men. She opened a drawer and grabbed the heavy duty rubber spatula then proceeded to slap both of the men across the face with it. She did not want to hurt her hand. They yelled out in pain, immediately shutting their mouths.

"Listen up, you morons! This is my wedding day and you're ruining it! You!" she bellowed, turning her eyes on Izuru who had been released by her father. "You were not invited here so you damn sure better behave. Thank you for the sperm donation, but obviously our relationship has ended and you have moved onto…" She paused, looking at Gin. "A different path in life. And you!" she yelled, pointing the spatula at Ichigo. "Your face is going to be damn mess for the wedding pictures! I'm going upstairs to get ready for my wedding. And you people!" she screamed at all of the spectators who jumped and began a stampede off the deck when she turned her fury on them. "DO YOUR DAMN JOB!"

The house stayed eerily silent until Aine's heavy steps could be heard on the staircase.

"Son, you've got your work cut out for you. Good luck with that," Isshin told him sympathetically, patting him on the back. "Go fix your face. She's right. You look like hell."

"Gee, _thanks_, Dad," Ichigo growled irritably.

At this point, everyone was hoping the wedding could be carried off without the necessity of a funeral later.

* * *

Aine sat at the dressing table in her room while Yuzu put the finishing touches on her veil and brought it over her face. She stood up to look at her reflection. Her knee length wedding dress was a pale shade of pink. White just would not do with her obvious pregnancy and would just look ridiculous. She also did not want a long dress and risk tripping on the hem. Her shoes were pink ballerina flats to further prevent tripping.

"You're beautiful," Yuzu said, staring at her sister-in-law-to-be with tears in her eyes.

"My brother's a lucky man. I'm glad he found someone like you," Karin commented, sniffing loudly.

Aine hugged them both feeling the tears welling behind her eyes. With a big smile on her face, the two women who were also her bridesmaids walked downstairs with her. She met her father at the backdoor who beamed proudly with watery eyes as he looked at her.

"I love you, baby," he whispered, unable to speak louder. He hugged and kissed her on the cheek after lifting her veil. They both looked out at the lawn covered with guests sitting in white chairs with big pink bows on the back.

Aine took a deep breath to steady herself as she looked at her husband-to-be standing next to the minister. He was dressed casually in a white button down dress shirt that was open at the collar and jeans. She smiled as she watched him shift nervously back and forth on his feet and pull at his collar despite the fact the top two buttons were undone.

"Daddy, I love you," she said, taking her father's arm so he could lead her to her husband.

Yuzu and Karin stepped out in front of her and the music began for them to walk down the aisle. Aine could feel her body trembling. She was so anxious yet so incredibly happy. Her eyes met Ichigo's when she was halfway through her long trek to him. She did not even notice the fabulous purple bruise that was beginning to show under his eye and on his lower jaw. Nothing would be allowed to ruin her day now.

"Who gives this woman to be wed?" Pastor Ukitake inquired to begin the ceremony. His incredibly deep brown eyes were kind as he smiled at the bride and her father.

"I do," Kisuke proudly announced. He raised the veil and kissed her briefly on the lips. "You're getting a good husband. Be a good wife."

"I will, Daddy," she responded, shifting her gaze to Ichigo when her father literally gave her hand to him.

"If there is anyone here who objects to this union, let him speak now or forever hold his peace," the white haired preacher announced, obviously taken aback when someone stood up. "What the he – " He stopped himself before he got the whole word out.

"I do!" Izuru yelled, stepping out into the aisle.

"I'm going to kill him," Aine growled through clenched teeth. She shoved her bouquet into Yuzu's hands to stomp toward the blond man she had heard enough from today. "How dare you!"

"Wait! Wait! Please don't kill me!" he begged as she trudged toward him like a raging bull threatening to stamp him into the ground.

The guests were fascinated with this develop and apparently entertained. The best part was yet to come as the petite pregnant bride drew back her fist and let him have it right across the jaw. The man hit the ground hard and out cold.

"You can just put that anywhere. I'll pick it up later," Gin told the two men who came out to remove the unconscious Izuru. 'Idiot,' he thought to himself. He wanted to stay and watch the lovely couple get married.

"I love you, Suki," Ichigo told his miffed bride who was flushed a pretty pink from her efforts to take down the ex-boyfriend. She was literally a blushing bride now.

"I love you too," she replied, grasping her bouquet tightly when Yuzu put it back in her hand.

"Which brings us back to why we are here," Ukitake said, getting back to the ceremony. "Dearly beloved…"


	11. The Reason

The Reason

Aine handed Izuru the ice pack. She did not intend to smile hatefully when he flinched, but she did.

"Here. You need this," she said, holding it out to him patiently. She sat down beside her new husband to stare at the two men sitting across from them on the other couch. It was late and she was tired, but they needed to talk.

"So why'd you stand up?" Ichigo asked, putting his arm around his wife protectively.

"Can she not speak for herself?" Izuru snapped, holding the ice to his bruised and sore jaw.

"Please, don't make me hit you again," Aine warned him, purposely turning down the corners of her mouth to keep from smiling when he winced at the mere threat. "Now answer the question."

"I don't know," he mumbled, lowering his eyes to the floor.

"Really?" Gin muttered, slapping him across the back of his head.

"Ow!" The once again injured blond rubbed the back of his head.

"Just tell her you idiot! I already know the reason," he said, glaring at him. When Izuru hesitated, he answered for him. "He's still in love with you."

"Okay. Now I'm just confused," Ichigo mumbled.

"That makes two of us," Aine stated in an emotionless tone, staring at Izuru who returned her gaze. Idiot, moron, jerk, asshole…did she miss any choice names for him? Pick a damn team and get on it! What the hell was she supposed to do? Marry Izuru then live with him and his lover along with their daughter and be just one big, happy, fucked up family. No, thank you, Izuru Kira. She was a one man kind of woman, and she preferred for that man to not have a boyfriend.

"It was never about not loving you. Hell, I don't even know what it was about," he sighed, leaning back on the couch. He still had no clue about how he really felt about anything. He loved her. He loved Gin. He wanted his daughter to be with him. To sum it up in an old adage, he wanted to have his cake and eat it too.

"You should have just been honest with me from the beginning. If you weren't sure about so many things, you should have said so. Indecision is worse than no decision at all," she said bluntly. "You can't have it all. I suppose I decided for you."

"We need to go," Gin said, noticing how weary Aine appeared. It was too late to go back now for any of them so they could only go forward from here and find a way to deal with each other. However, it was late, and nothing would be solved tonight anyway. They needed to leave the newly married couple alone as well. He glowered at his selfish lover who had already rained on their parade enough today.

Aine rose from the couch to walk them to the door. She was exhausted and ready for bed. It had been an emotional roller coaster all day long in addition to the already stressful wedding day. She hugged Izuru, kissing him briefly on the lips. Giving him a sympathetic smile, she hugged him again because he looked so devastatingly sad.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, kissing him on the forehead when he bent down to her.

"Yeah. Me too. I still want to be a part of my little girl's life. We'll be moving back here in about a year and a half," he informed her, pushing a stray curl out of her face. He smiled at her, kissing her again. After hearing a loud sigh of frustration from her new husband, he cut the kiss short. At least the man did not try to beat the crap out of him again.

Aine lowered her gaze to the floor unable to look him in the eyes. If she did, the dam holding back the tears would break and she was too tired to cry at this time. She glimpsed at Ichigo when he moved forward to shake hands with Izuru. They would have to get accustomed to each other since they would both be a part of her and her daughter's life. She rubbed her belly smiling with the thought that Keegan would be a lucky girl to have two fathers. Her eyes landed on Gin then she realized it would actually be three fathers. What a fortunate little girl. She was surprised by her own reaction to the unique man because she actually liked her ex-boyfriend's boyfriend. How many women can say that? It was weird no matter how she tried to understand it so she just quit trying. Sighing noisily, she pushed the thought out of her head. She was too worn-out to think.

"It was wonderful meeting you," Gin said, pulling her into his arms for a comforting hug. He brushed his lips across hers which brought an audible gasp from the other two men. "If you or the baby ever need anything, please don't hesitate to let me know."

"All right, I will," she assured him, gasping when he gave her another longer kiss on the lips. Are gay men always this affectionate with women or was it just her?

Ichigo shook hands with Gin and bid him good-bye as well. He put his arm around his wife as they watched the two men walk away.

"You should feel pretty special right about now. You've got a husband and two gay boyfriends," he teased, receiving a playful punch in the gut. He was thankful she had not intended to cause severe pain.

Aine turned to him with a mischievous grin. "You saw those kisses. Are you sure they're both gay?"

"Huh? What are you saying?" He stared at her when she simply turned away silently and walked up the stairs. "What do you mean?"

"Ichigo, can we just go to bed?" she inquired, opening the door to her room and flopping on the bed.

"Don't you want to take your dress off?" he asked, sitting her up to unzip it.

"I'm so tired I don't care," she responded sleepily pulling the dress over her head. She could sleep in her slip. She tossed the dress over her computer chair and lay down.

"Aine?" he called, lying down beside her.

"What, sweetheart?" She rolled into him, putting her arms around him. She could feel him shaking in her arms.

"C-can I…can I touch you?" he asked, pressing his fingertips against her chest over her heart.

"You are touching me, silly," she rejoined, snuggling into him.

"No, I mean," he said, cupping her breast with his hand and rubbing his thumb over the nipple. "Touch you."

Aine was immediately wide awake especially since the warm, stimulating sensation of desire had flooded her body. It had never occurred to her that he might actually want to make love to her. She had gotten so accustomed to their relationship not involving sex and with her advanced state of pregnancy she never imagined he would find her desirable.

"Are you sure you want to? I'm so big and –"she began to protest to be cut off.

"And I asked Dr. Kotetsu about it at your last visit and she said it would be fine. You're experiencing a perfectly healthy pregnancy so there's no reason we can't. Aine ,please," he begged, kissing her briefly. "You are my wife. I need you. You don't have to be nervous with me."

"I-I just…it's been so long since I've…and we've never…" She stopped talking and looked into his deep brown eyes. She could see the longing and desire there so openly displayed it made her bite her lower lip because she felt it so strongly. How could she reject him when he wanted to give her his body as well as his heart?

"Suki, please," he implored her, kissing her again.

Aine moaned from the intensity of his kiss that relayed his need to share everything with her. Her tongue slid between his slightly parted lips and a delicious thrill ran through her body when he moaned. Her trembling fingers unbuttoned his shirt while his fingers stroked across her breast through the silky fabric of her slip. She ran her hands over his muscular chest enjoying the texture of his soft skin over the hard muscle beneath her fingertips. She had seen him without a shirt many times but never indulged in caressing him like she was at this moment. Breaking the passionate kiss, she trailed kisses over his chin and down his neck.

"Aine," he moaned, thrusting his hands into her hair when she kissed across his chest.

Aine slid her thumb over his hard erect nipple before placing her mouth over it to receive another loud moan from him. After licking and sucking gently, she worked her way over to the other one.

"Oh, god," he whispered when her tongue darted out to touch the sensitive skin.

Aine sat up on her knees, grabbing at the button and zipper of his jeans. Since he had stirred up the hunger within her, it must be satisfied. After he pushed her hands away to get them off, she took care of undressing herself.

"Oh, wow," she gasped when she saw it for the first time. Swallowing hard, she stared at his member standing erect and ready for the taking, pointing toward the ceiling as he lay on his back. He was much bigger than Izuru.

"Is there anything wrong?" he asked, touching her cheek.

"No, nothing is wrong," she answered, moving over on top of him. She rubbed herself over him, watching his face as his eyes fluttered shut, and he groaned.

Ichigo opened his eyes to look at her. He cupped her face with his hands, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. He loved her with a powerful devotion. His hands slid down her neck noticing the contrast of his tanned skin against her ivory colored skin. Oh, her breasts! What a beautiful sight they were to behold. He had seen them occasionally during the doctor's office visits in a strictly clinical manner. A few times he had glimpsed them as she was coming of the shower. Finally, he could look _and_ touch. Never before had such a simple thing made him so happy.

Aine whimpered as he gently pinched the aroused nipples making the warm, wet sensation between her legs grow. She grazed his member with her womanhood causing him to moan with yearning.

"Are you ready?" Ichigo massaged her breasts that had grown since the beginning of her pregnancy. He smiled when she sighed with pleasure.

Aine nodded, holding his gaze while she positioned her body above his. She pushed him in, both of them closing their eyes and groaning loudly as he entered her.

"I won't last long," he warned her, putting his hands on her waist while she continued to slowly take him in.

"I don't care. I just want to please you," she returned, leaning down to kiss him. Moving her hips brought a cry of pleasure from him that spurred her on to do more. She meant what she had said – she only wanted to please him. He definitely felt great inside of her.

"Aine, look at me," he said, putting his hand on the back of her neck to turn her head down to him.

"Ichigo!" she cried out with pleasure, her gaze locking with his.

"I will love you forever," he declared, thrusting his hips up at her.

"I hope so. I love you so much it frightens me," she admitted, placing her hands flat against his chest as she worked her body on top of him.

"You will never have anything to fear from me. I'll always be here," he promised her, pulling her down on him.

"I-I-Ichigo," she stuttered when the orgasm unexpectedly began. She threw back her head and yelled his name while her body moved faster and harder on top of him while she rode out the marvelous waves of the pleasure that swelled and broke through her.

"Mmmmm…Aine," he moaned, pushing into her forcefully when his climax erupted and sent him over the blissful edge. He pulled her down on top of him, kissing her ravenously as he reveled in the pleasure she had given him.

"That was incredible," she whispered, lying down beside him.

"Good things are worth waiting for," he said, kissing her on the forehead. "I love you, my wife."

"I love you too, my husband," she replied, sighing with contentment when he pulled her into his arms.

They fell asleep in each other's arms after consummating their marriage. Neither one of them had expected that. Of course, their relationship had been unexpected since the beginning. Some of the best things in life are the unexpected ones.

* * *

The last two months of her pregnancy went by quickly. By the last two weeks, Ichigo refused to even let her into the restaurant. He insisted that she stay at home and rest which was terribly boring. They were still living with her father because he had wanted it that way so he could keep his daughter and his granddaughter close. Besides, what was the point of leaving him alone in that huge house? They could spend all day in the house together and never cross paths. The whole upstairs was converted into a suite of rooms for them; it was a house within a house. The only thing it was missing was the kitchen which Kisuke never stepped foot into it anyway unless his daughter was cooking. The restaurant was still coming along quite nicely becoming a popular and much talked about place. They were now having to take reservations and were booked weeks in advance.

Aine could not believe how all of her dreams were coming true. She was sitting in her new living room upstairs, daydreaming as she stared out of the window without seeing a thing. She had not been feeling well today and was glad she could stay home and do nothing. Today was the end of the forty first week of her pregnancy. She was overdue and miserable. The doctor kept telling her it would be any day because her body was showing many signs of readiness. Each day she waited, hoping that this would be the day. Every night she went to bed and still woke up pregnant. Would this ever end?

Aine shifted uncomfortably when a pain ran through her back. Back pain had become commonplace not only due to her huge baby belly but also the practice contractions that had been plaguing her body. She ignored the twinge even when it ran around and squeezed her whole belly. Just Braxton Hicks contractions again. She got up to move and was driven to her knees by the pain that seized her. Okay. Now she might be getting somewhere.

"Rover, where's Daddy?" she inquired, pulling herself back up to the couch.

"In his lab. Shall I call him for you, Miss?" he asked.

"Yes. And do a body scan. Tell me if this is real labor," she ordered the computer. She breathed slowly and deeply when the pain grasped her again.

"Yes, Miss. You are indeed in labor. Your father is on the way to you. Shall I alert your husband and Dr. Kotetsu?"

"Yes, Rover. Please do. Oh, and Rover, tell Ichigo to pick us up. Daddy will be in no shape to drive."


	12. To Happiness

To Happiness

"Do you need anything? Water? Ice? A back rub? Just tell me, baby," Kisuke begged, visibly shaking as he watched his daughter scream through a particularly painful contraction.

"Daddy, please! Shut up or get out!" Aine yelled, breathing deeply now that the contraction had waned. She knew she had only precious seconds to prepare for the next.

"Suki, just breathe," Ichigo coached, breathing like they had been taught in the Lamaze classes.

"Like I could forget, asshole," she growled through her gritted teeth. She cried out as the contraction hit the crescendo of agony then began to fade away.

"Aine, it's time to push. When I tell you, sit up and push down hard," Dr. Kotetsu ordered her.

Ichigo and Kisuke both put their hands on Aine's back ready to help her lean up. It had been twelve hours of unmedicated labor that she endured so far. They were proud of her but thought she was stubbornly stupid for refusing all drugs. Since she had chosen this path of childbirth, she had refrained from emotionally or physically abusing the two men who loved her the most. Aside from the occasional dirty name or curse word, she had done really well.

"All right Aine, now!" the doctor exclaimed, ready and waiting between her legs. It should not take too many pushes to get the baby out.

Both men pushed Aine forward while she pushed down. Her groan rose to a yell with her effort. She fell back with relief, breathing hard when the doctor told them it was okay. After thirty minutes of pushing, the doctor triumphantly announced that she could see the baby's head.

"Not long now, Mama. A few more good pushes and your baby girl will be here," Dr. Kotetsu assured her.

"I don't want to do this anymore! It's hurts and I'm tired! I want the pain to stop!" Aine yelled with big tears flooding down her face.

"Suki, it's okay. Come on. Not much longer. I love you. Keegan is counting on you," Ichigo said, wiping her face with a cold damp washcloth. He kissed her forehead then her cheeks. "Come on, sweetheart, please. You've got to."

"Aine Urahara! Suck it up and get your ass in gear! Your baby girl needs you to get her into this world safely!" her father bellowed at her ignoring the shocked expressions of the other people in the room.

"All right, Daddy," she mumbled, taking a deep breath. "Help me."

Kisuke and Ichigo resumed their positions of pushing her while she did her best to push the baby out. Thirty minutes more passed before a soft warbling cry filled the room.

"Daddy, would like to do the honors?" Dr. Kotetsu inquired, handing Ichigo a pair of scissors to cut the umbilical cord.

"Oh, Suki, she's beautiful," Ichigo murmured, wiping off Aine's face. He whispered all kinds of wonderful plans for the future to her as her teary eyes watched the nurse tend to the baby in the clear plastic bassinette beside her bed.

Aine smiled as she watched her father wipe the tears from his eyes as he stared down at his granddaughter. She could see that the baby had a thick cap of copper colored hair. Izuru's blond hair had lightened up her dark red hair to make a lovely shade of strawberry blond on their daughter. It would be a few months before she knew the true color of the baby's eyes. She hoped they were a mixture of bluish green or even an aqua color, another blend of her parents as well. Holding out her arms with anticipation, she kept her eyes on the pink bundle in the nurse's arms.

"Congratulations," the young woman said, carefully placing the baby in the eager mother's arms.

"Oh, Ichigo, she's gorgeous," Aine sniffed, wiping the tears from her eyes. She gazed at the pink skinned bundle in her arms, kissing her warm velvety head. Her finger grazed the plump round cheek then slid over the little hand. The tiny fingers wrapped around her finger, making her smile and cry at the same time.

"How lovely," Kisuke stated affectionately, snapping a picture. "My two favorite girls."

"Are you ready for your first breastfeeding lesson?" a woman asked way too cheerily, interrupting their nice family moment. They stared at the woman with blond hair and blue eyes. She had the biggest breasts any of them had ever seen. It was enough to make a person laugh to think the lady with the size G breasts was a breastfeeding instructor. If Aine had not been so aggravated, she would be laughing her head off because it was almost cruel in its obviousness. The woman smiled pleasantly at the frowning threesome oblivious to how unwelcome they found her presence.

"What is your name?" Aine asked, glaring at the intruder.

"I'm Rangiku Matsumoto. Should I come back later?" she inquired apprehensively, finally getting a clue.

"How about I call you? I think I can get the hang of it," a very irritated new mom said, hanging on to her last bit of patience.

"O-okay," she stammered, leaving the room as quickly as she had arrived.

"Did you see that?" Kisuke asked, talking to his son-in-law.

Aine glowered at her husband menacingly waiting for his answer.

"Uh, ah…um no," he lied, smiling apprehensively at his ferocious wife. He would rather lie than wake up with his testicles wrapped around his neck.

Aine rocked the baby in her arms allowing the child to sleep. Mother and daughter had been through a long arduous ordeal. She felt exhausted and ready for sleep herself.

"Why don't you rest for a few minutes?" Ichigo suggested, kissing her cheek. "Can I hold my daughter?"

"Of course," she responded, feeling tears well up from the way he called the baby his daughter.

It did not matter to that man one bit that she was not his daughter biologically. He was already smitten with _his_ little girl and that was what she would always be. She handed him their daughter, watching him as he sat down in the rocking chair to rock her. Her eyes felt heavier and heavier as she strained to stay awake to watch her handsome husband get to know their daughter. However, she was unable to fight the sleep for long and fell under its spell.

* * *

"Suki, wake up," Ichigo murmured, gently shaking her shoulder. He hated to wake her, afraid he was poking a sleeping bear, but the baby was hungry. Hopefully that hour of blissful sleep would be enough to take the edge off at least.

Aine was immediately awake when she heard the pitiful mewling cries of her daughter. She sat up, taking the baby from her husband who was pleasantly surprised that he did not incur physical damage. She watched the baby immediately turn toward her breast and begin rooting around.

"Hungry finally little lady?" she cooed, pushing back her nightgown to reveal her breast. She carefully positioned the baby with a pillow under her arm to use it for a prop. Within seconds the baby was latched on and sighing loudly with satisfaction as the milk flowed into her mouth. Hah! Who needs the big boobed breastfeeding teacher?

Ichigo eased onto the bed next to her, putting her arms around her. He leaned his head against her shoulder to gaze at their daughter.

By the time, Aine switched the baby to her other breast the daddy was fast asleep. She shrugged him off her shoulder smiling when a loud snore escaped him when he crashed down softly onto the bed. Just as she was finishing the baby's first feeding, her father reentered the room. She placed the baby over her shoulder to pat her back.

"She's had her first meal I'm guessing?" Kisuke asked, standing beside the bed to anxiously await his turn to hold the baby.

After a tiny burp came from Keegan, Aine handed her over to the ecstatic grandfather who was practically trembling with anticipation. She watched with tears in her eyes as he cuddled the baby close to him. He was whispering something to the child and would intermittently press kisses to her forehead or chubby little cheeks. The tears fell when Aine began to contemplate if this is was he looked like with her when he finally got to hold her. Of course she was older when he got to hold her for the first time, but she could imagine that same look of glowing, joyful rapture on his face as he looked down at his three month old daughter.

"Daddy," she called, getting his attention before she continued. "I love you."

"I love you too, baby," he replied, coming to the bed to kiss her. "Why don't you get some sleep? I can handle the little one here. I would love the time with her."

"Daddy, thank you."

"For what?"

"For everything."

* * *

"Mr. Izuru Kira has arrived, sir," Rover announced.

"WHO?" Ichigo and Kisuke yelled in unison.

Aine was sleeping while they took care of the baby. They had been home for two weeks and were certainly not expecting a visit from the baby's father. Ichigo went to the door with the baby in his arms.

"What do you want?" he demanded grouchily.

"I want to see my daughter," Izuru replied testily.

Kisuke rolled his eyes. These two men were more hormonal together than his daughter had been at the height of her pregnancy. It was like watching a pissing contest between two pricks. In the end neither one of them would win.

"Hey! You two! Shut up before you wake the sleeping mother!" he yelled as if he did not notice how much noise he was making. "Did you bring your boyfriend?"

Gin walked in behind Izuru with his customary fox grin plastered on his face. "Yes, he did," he answered, pleasantly.

"Oh, goody! Then it's a party," Ichigo remarked in true smart ass fashion.

"Hey! Who knew snarky was catching? Guess the wife is rubbing off on you, eh?" Izuru teased elbowing the less than pleased husband in the ribs.

"Touch me again, and I swear I'll kill you," he threatened, rocking the baby gently when she stirred in his arms.

"Don't worry, stud muffin, gay isn't catching," Gin joked, making Kisuke chortle.

"Oh," Kisuke snorted, trying not to laugh. "I thought you two were bisexual."

"Maybe we are," the silver haired man rejoined purposely being vague.

"That would explain a lot," her father retorted.

"Oh, my god! You all make me sick. Can you just shut the hell up?" Ichigo groused, reluctantly handing the baby to Izuru.

"What's going on?" Aine yawned, walking down the stairs. "Oh, my god! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too, sweetheart," Izuru snapped, receiving an elbow from Gin.

Gin could handle Izuru being a smart aleck to the grumpy orange haired man but not to the mother of his child. He moved toward the sleepy woman, gathering her into his arms for a hug.

Aine accepted the hug giving him one back. She had come to like him more than she did her ex-boyfriend. She almost felt sorry for the man being stuck with the moody, inconsistent lover who might suddenly decide any day that he likes women again.

"She's beautiful, Aine," Izuru said, staring at the child in his arms.

"What did you expect dumbass? She's got a gorgeous mother," Ichigo snarled, glaring at the blond sperm donor.

"Girls, please!" Aine yelled, clapping her hands together as if she was trying to quiet a room full of noisy students. "Damn, you two have got to find a way to get along."

"Can I talk to you?" Gin asked her. "Privately."

"Sure. Follow me," she said, going back up the stairs. She yelled back to everyone else,"We'll be in the office!"

Aine led him to their home office where she would be doing paperwork for the restaurant when she recovered a little more from having the baby. She pulled out a chair for him, sitting at the small table in the room rather than the desk.

"First of all I wanted to apologize for Izuru's carelessness with not informing you of our plans to visit. He's not the best communicator, you know," he stated with an apologetic tone.

Aine forced a smile resisting the urge to belt out a sarcastic, "No shit, Sherlock!" Gin was a very nice man, and she did not want to hurt his feelings unnecessarily. Izuru however was a different story. She could not care less if she hurt his feelings. She returned her attention back to what he was saying. He was explaining their plan to move back to Japan early. They could continue their research here so they could be near the baby. He had already decided to grant Izuru his doctorate in the specialty of aberrant sexual disorders. She covered her mouth with her hand, pressing her fingers against her lips to keep them shut. There were so many hateful comments she wanted to make because the situation just screamed for it.

"We'll work out specific details for visitation when we move back and get settled in," he informed her, when he was finished explaining their plan.

"Gin, does it scare you?" Aine asked, shocked when the man opened his eyes so she could see their astounding baby blue color.

"What?" he inquired, closing them again.

"How he could turn on you in a second. What if he suddenly decides he likes women again?"

"Well, if he does, he does. There's not a whole lot I can do about it. Sometimes you have to take a chance on love despite the possible consequences."

"Yeah. That doesn't always work out so well," she mumbled, lowering her gaze to her hands that nervously fidgeted in her lap.

"I don't know. It might not have worked out with Izuru but it wasn't a complete loss. You have a lovely daughter and a husband that loves you. It's possible those things would not have occurred had you never met Izuru," he pointed out walking over to her. He pushed her hair behind her ear so he could clearly see her face. "I'm a strong believer that everything happens for a reason. We may not understand the reason or know the higher purpose, but we just have to believe everything will always work out for the best."

Aine leaned forward to hug him. He was right. If she had not met Izuru in the park that day, she would have gone back to Ireland. She would not have the wonderful family she does now. Her future would have been bleak at best, spending each day in misery and possibly crushing loneliness. Good things beyond her wildest dreams had happened to her. She had developed a wonderful relationship with her father. She met a man that opened her heart to love and gave her a beautiful baby girl. Her dream of owning a restaurant was realized along with finding a partner to make it a success. That partner also became her husband to help make her a successful wife and mother. One simple gesture of a kind stranger led her on a path from sorrow to happiness that she never thought possible.

The End

* * *

I did not bother to include an epilogue because it would be short and have a distinct "...and they lived happily ever after" ring to it.


End file.
